Know-It-All
by Samlie
Summary: Ally Dawson should have been eccentric about her debate trip to the country that her crush had recently moved to. Except she's not. Her partner made a stupid mistake and now she's is being paired up with her arch-nemesis Austin Moon. / AU in which Ally is stuck in a certain kind of triangle that starts with an 'L' and ends with an 'o, v, e' and it's all Austin's fault.
1. i

**Hello, how are you?**

 **YEHEDHEDEH I'm super duper excited to post this because I've been working on this for a while now. The plot was so good in my mind I think I cried thinking about it at some point over the holidays. AND IT'S MULTICHAPTER. So yeah. This is loosely based off of _Meant To Be_ by Lauren Morrill!**

 **I don't own anything at all. Like nothing. I want a Ferrari but looks like that's not happening soon.**

* * *

 _Try authentic maple syrup!_

Ally wiped the writing away with her hand. She decided against breathing onto the airplane window again. Germs.

Ally was so excited. Her debate team was heading to Vancouver in Canada for a big conference. Ally attended the same conference last year, when she was a junior. But it sucked last year since she was one of the only five juniors that got picked to go since most of the debaters were seniors. Only one of the five, excluding herself was her friend.

She didn't do anything last year since no one _invited_ her anywhere last year.

Ally was a senior this year. She let that roll over in her mind. _Senior._ When she got across the border, she was technically allowed to drink, smoke, do whatever she wanted. And this time, she had more of her friends along on this trip.

Okay maybe not, _whatever_. She didn't want to get in trouble with the law in another country.

Everyone hops onto the debate train when they need extra credit. Everyone knew Ms. Krum only chose the best to speak. Free credit.

Ally got giddy as the plane bounced twice. She looked at the screen built into the chair in front of her displaying a little map of the plane's progress from Miami to their destination.

She was so excited! She read all about Vancouver in the brochures that came home with the consent form. Of course she read about them once last year but she didn't go see any of it while she was there. She even ranted to Trish about it for two hours straight.

"Calm down, Ally. Staring at the screen won't make this plane fly any faster." Ally glanced at Trish, her best friend, who was sitting to her left. She was engrossed in a fashion magazine, looking at the latest trends for the lowest prices.

That was literally the title of the magazine.

"I'm sorry. But I'm just so excited. I feel like I'm going to burst!" Ally exclaimed, raising her hands in the air for emphasis. That earned some snickers from the row of seats behind her. Ally ignored them.

"Excited for what? Nice people apologizing and holding doors for you?" Trish laughed. Ally frowned.

"For your information, I met a really rude Canadian on my last trip," Ally pointed out. Trish looked skeptically at her.

"Oh yeah? What did they do?"

"Not hold the door for me," Ally said triumphantly. Trish rolled her eyes and went back to having a nose-to-nose conversation with her fashion catalogue. Ally sighed as the plane still kept the _Please keep your seatbelts on_ sign glowing bright with the voiceover that kept playing over the system every now and then. She really needed to get up and stretch her legs.

And pee.

Ally sighed as another turbulence rocked the plane from side to side. Ally tried really hard not to think about all the water she drank while at the airport back in Miami a few hours ago. They were almost landing anyway.

Suddenly something pelted Ally in the back of the head. The brunette grimaced; it didn't hurt, it was just weird not to make any face when she actually felt that. Ally turned around slowly to see a piece of balled up paper fall from the top of her head and down onto her seat.

Ally frowned, picking up the paper slowly. She uncrumpled it and found a wad of gum stuck to the inside. Ally recoiled in disgust. She knew exactly who that was from.

Ally balled up the sheet again, trying not to smell the maple scent coming from the gum— seriously who chews _maple gum_?— and flung it back over her shoulder. She watched as it sailed over the heads of the first and second row of seats behind her and smack onto the forehead of the person she was aiming at.

"Trash," she mumbled, sinking back down into her seat, not waiting to see their reaction. The wad of paper didn't come back, so that meant she was safe.

For now, anyway.

Ally closed her eyes as the plane jolted up and down. She began to sweat since it wasn't stopping after a bout for five seconds. She gripped the armrests until her knuckles turned white. It wasn't that she was scared of falling and crashing to her death, no— although that would be pretty bad. It was the fact that she _really_ had to use the bathroom, and the turbulences were _not_ helping in any way.

When they finally stopped, she couldn't take it anymore. Ally unbuckled her seatbelt, ignoring a confused Trish and another passenger as she raced past the two into the aisle. She didn't care if she got in trouble. She was going to _explode_.

Ally ran into the washroom and locked the door. She then checked again if she had really locked it. When she had finished everything, including double-checking if there was any toilet paper stuck to the bottom of her shoes, Ally confidently strolled out of the washroom.

Ally made a plan in her head. She was going to bolt from here to back to her seat. Maybe, fifteen-ish steps? She'd scoot past Carrie and Trish and back into her seat, buckling her seatbelt with both clean hands. It should take about forty-five to a minute, tops.

Ally was so confident with her plan that she didn't see where she was going. She ran smack into a wall. Or, well, it was a wall until she heard it chuckle.

"Woah, what's the rush Know-It-Ally?" Austin Moon, the person who chucked that gum-wad at her, laughed. Ally groaned. Austin Moon and his groupie friends have done nothing but torture her since freshman year. 'Know-It-Ally' was the nickname they gave her, because well, she knew everything. She'd have to admit, it was a smart nickname. But she'd rather die than admit that to them anytime soon.

"Austin, move," she sighed, making a list of comebacks and excuses in her head. She head to prepare her next move before he even made his.

"Aw come on, I asked you a question," Austin said, raising his hands up. His face had a lazy grin on it. Ally had never seen him wear a different expression in her entire life. Or a different outfit, for all she knew. He wore the same gray, long sleeve shirt. The same bomber jacket. The same ugly yellow snapback that didn't match the colour of his hair.

It made his hair look like hay.

Ally knew there was only one reason why he was even on his trip; extra credit. She wondered how a dimwit like him even did in school. Probably got other people to do his homework for him while he went to parties and smoked stuff that shouldn't be smoked.

"I just need to get back to my seat," Ally replied. Austin was standing with his hands on the headrests of the seats of the aisles, leaning into her. Ally didn't have an escape unless she went over his leg and under his arm.

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" Austin removed one of his arms and ushered her forward. Ally went into a mode of panic. _Oh my god, he's touching me. Oh my god._ "There you go, little know-it-all, back to your seat." Austin even grinned at her as she turned around to look at him. Ally raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything else.

Once she buckled in her seat, Ally sighed and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Ally shifted in her seat. Ally didn't want to move again, for fear that she was being too distracting. But, her body told her otherwise. Her back was itchy.

Ally reached behind her to scratch her back when her hand caught on something. Ally grasped a piece of paper attached to her back by a piece of orange-brown gum, all chewed up.

Ally stared at it in disbelief. She touched the back of her shirt. Sure enough, there was gum stuck to the back of her shirt. Ally puffed air out from her cheeks as she heard snickers from behind her.

She raised the piece of paper to her eyes, looking at what appeared to be a message on it for her. She read it.

 _Hey Know-It-All, ya know some places to get some good booze? I saw those brochures you were reading. Oh wait, you don't even know what booze is!_

The note wasn't signed but she could tell it was from the one and only pain in the ass. Ally rolled her eyes and pried the rest of the gum off her back using the note so she wouldn't actually have to touch the gum. Ick.

She angrily turned around and chucked the balled up paper over to Austin's seat. But not before writing some very hurtful words on the other side of the sheet of paper.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity and forever, the plane landed in the airport on time. Ally thought with all those turbulences and with the little loop the plane did— as she spied on the built in progress map thing built into the seat— that the flight would be delayed. But no, it was right on time. That made Ally oddly happy.

The debate team— about a hundred people, wow!— hauled themselves out of the airport and walked to the nearby hotel that they were going to be staying at for the fourteen-day trip.

Once they got to the lobby of the hotel, Ms. Krum called for silence among the members of the debate team.

"Since there had been an accident in booking rooms, you all get your own suite," Ms. Krum announced, although she wasn't happy. Cheers rose from every which way of the group; one escaped out of Ally's mouth, herself. This meant she didn't have to share a room with Piper Dale; strawberry blonde and the biggest gossiper ever. She was part of that Austin Moon groupie shit, and totally in love with the meathead.

Ally sighed. She honestly just _hated_ Austin so much. One time during freshman year, Piper, Austin, Kira and Jace taped freaking pads and tampons to her locker just because she got some red paint stuck to the back of her white jeans. Art class was a hassle that day. On top of that, she had to wear Trish's gym shorts for the rest of the day since she didn't take Phys Ed anymore. Trish hadn't washed her shorts in _two months_.

Although, she never got to thank the four for the free hygiene things.

"So this means I'm responsible for all one hundred and twenty-two of you separately," Ms. Krum sighed. She then assigned everyone their rooms. "I'll be checking your rooms every night right at curfew, which is at ten." After everyone groaned in protest, Ms. Krum continued. "You are free to do whatever you want in between debates and curfew, except when we have group outings, which you are required to attend to get full credit of this extra-curricular. Some things that are forbidden are drinking and going to clubs." Everyone groaned again. Someone even made a dramatic moaning noise.

"Shopping and all is fine, and eating out is also fine. Just make sure you are at the debates in time and be respectful of the rules and all."

"And because of this, you're all going to get fieldtrip buddies! You and your buddy are responsible for each other _and_ supposed to do things together. For example, if you wanted to go shopping—" Ms. Krum gave a pointed glare to a few of the girls looking longingly at a pile of fashion catalogues on the lobby desk. "—your buddy has to come with you. The buddy system prevents people from wandering off. Failure to do this will result in you sitting out "

Everyone groaned in unison again. Ally sighed as Ms. Krum began to read out the names, listing people off alphabetically.

"Trent Cavier and Cassidy Chairman."

Ally rubbed up and down her arms. They were going in alphabetical order! Which meant she was going to end up with—

"Piper Dale and Ally Dawson."

Great.

She was still stuck with Piper.

Ally looked around for her blonde buddy, scanning the heads of her taller classmates. It wasn't her fault she was short. Blame her dad! His genes were the reason she was so short.

"Piper!" Ally exclaimed once she saw the blonde standing a few feet away, hopefully looking for her as well. Piper caught her eye and actually _gagged_ in front of her. Ally rolled her eyes before making her way over to her _buddy_.

This was going to be a long-ass trip.

"Know-It-Ally!" Piper exclaimed with fake enthusiasm. The blonde walked over to her in her reasonably-heighted high heels and bent over to give her an air kiss on each cheek. Ally stood still as everything happened.

Although Piper was _also_ a pain in the ass, she was the nicest out of the four that torture her on a day-to-day basis. Since their names were beside each other on the attendance list, they did a lot of projects together and shit. Ally could tolerate Piper longer than anyone else.

"How are you? Good, good! That's great!" Piper exclaimed. Ally didn't even answer her question.

As Ms. Krum finished listing out the partners and told everyone to stand by their buddies, Ally glanced around the room. Ms. Krum gave up on the alphabetical order halfway through, as some people were too buddy-buddy already with their potential partners, which was going to result in disaster. Ms. Krum just switched everything up after the K last names.

Ally looked at all the groups of buddies. Trish was paired with Jace. Kira was paired with Austin. Dez was paired with Chuck. Gavin was paired with Dallas.

Ally let out a breath of relief as Ms. Krum dismissed the group to head up to their rooms to unpack and settle in. They were free to do whatever they wanted after that. "Just to explore the Canadian city," Ms. Krum had said.

The brunette hauled her things to the floor she was staying on. Ally looked for the room number indicating her room. She unlocked the door to the suite she was staying in and gasped. The room looked like a page out of Trish's magazine. Trish usually ripped all the furniture stuff out just because, well, she didn't care about _room decor_.

The first thing Ally noticed was the colour scheme of the entire thing. Beige and crème. Gentle colours to soothe her eyes as she opened the door. The carpets were a light magenta, as well as any soft furniture in the room. There were some gold complementing the mellow colours of the room as well. The lights were rimmed with gold, as well as the lamp beside the bed.

The room had a big, queen sized bed with golden brass posts to accommodate the luxury. There was a vanity set with a big mirror to the right of the bed, right up against the wall. There was a bathroom next to the vanity set, the door frame was outline in gold.

The carpets were lush under her now shoeless and sockless feet. There was a big drawer right across from the bed, placed right up against the opposite wall. Ally wondered if all the rooms looked like this. All cute and girly. Probably not, as not all the guests were girls.

Ally unpacked her things into the wooden drawer across from the bed. There was even a little chest at the front foot of the bed to put some stuff in. This place was already turning out better than her room last year.

Last year, she had to share a room with Trish. It wasn't so bad until Trish started to unpack her things. The Latina had a _gazillion_ articles of clothing. It took up most of the dresser, most of the floor _and_ most of everywhere else in the room too. Not to mention Trish's hair supplies and makeup products took up the bathroom cabinet and the table. All Ally had left was her bed and the drawer beside it.

Once she had finished with her clothes, Ally moved into the bathroom to unpack her hygiene things. That was when she noticed the _big_ bathtub sitting right in the middle of the washroom. It had gold legs and a basket at the foot of it with free soaps, conditioners and a towel that smelled like lavender.

Ally quickly unpacked the rest of her stuff into the bathroom. She was going to hop into that bathtub quicker than Trish could buy three dresses.

Ally was just about to grab her things for a nice, soothing bath when her phone beeped. She ran over to check the message. It was from Trish.

 _all you talked about on the plane was VANCOUVER  
are you freaking out now that we're in the city that your CRUSH moved to?_

Ally blushed. Trish obviously was listening when she told her that Elliot moved to Vancouver last spring. Elliot was her crush since they went to Arts & Crafts Camp when they were little. They were the best out of all the little girls and boys there. He even said her baskets were unbelievable! They used to be best friends too. Sadly, they grew apart, but Ally never stopped liking him. She didn't have the courage to go up and talk to him whenever she saw him.

 _now that you brought it up yes  
and you just interrupted my plans to take a nice hot bath thank you very much_

 _you have a bathtub in your room?_

Ally smiled. She must have gotten lucky with her room.

 _i guess i just got lucky_

 _keep that up and i'm sure you will ;)_

Ally gasped. Trish was being cheeky with her! Ally was just about to reply when she heard a knock on the door. Ally closed her phone and walked over to her door. She flung it open without looking through the peephole at who it was.

"Hi Ally!" It was Piper. Ally looked at her. She looked like she was wearing a completely different outfit from on the plane. Completely. Even her hair and makeup were done differently. "Ready to go shopping? I heard there was this really great mall nearby here!"

"Shopping?" Ally asked. They literally _just_ got here. Her muscles were sore from the ten hour flight and all she wanted to do with soothe them in her holy bathtub. Maybe play some classical tunes in the background while she read a good book as well.

"You heard what Ms. Krum said, where one buddy goes, both buddies go!" Piper said. Her facade was irritating Ally a lot. Ally smiled at Piper as she grabbed her jacket and purse, putting on her shoes. Her feet were killing her from the walk from the airport to the hotel, but looks like she was going to be walking for another three hours.

"Thanks for checking in with me before going off to the mall," Ally said as she saw some stray debate team members walking around by themselves. Looks like the buddy system was already falling apart.

"Huh?" Piper looked up from her phone. Ally just gave her a slight shake of the head, indicating it meant nothing. She rolled her eyes when Piper looked away. Only when they got to the mall that Ally realized that there was a debate tomorrow. The first day of the competition and she still hadn't gone over her pros and cons chart yet.

Ally panicked for a bit before she remembered that she took photos of her chart on her phone. She pulled that out whenever Piper stopped to look at clothes. She felt like a kid getting dragged around by her mom when she'd rather be doing something else.

What was even worse was that Piper had met up with Kira and Austin. Apparently Austin got dragged along on the trip with Kira too. Ally walked beside Piper who was beside Kira who was in front of Austin a few steps.

It was too late when she realized that she caught Austin's eye by accident. And now he was strolling over to her casually.

"Know-It-Ally! How's it going?" He asked, grinning. She rolled her eyes before taking a few steps back and away from him. He smelled like maple gum. Hey, maybe that was normal here now that they were in Canada.

Maple syrup, aye?

"Great, until you talked to me," she answered honestly. Austin pouted at her, tipping his head to the side. The blond hair under his snapback fanned out behind his head near his neck. He didn't even change out of his airplane attire.

"Aw, don't be like that. Just trying to see how you were!" He said, throwing an arm over her shoulder. Ally shrieked a little before flicking his arm back over her head and back over to him. The noise was loud enough to make Piper and Kira look back at them.

"Woah, calm down there you two. Know-It-Ally, this guy just joined the mile-high club, wouldn't want to be seconds now would you?" Kira laughed. Piper whispered something to Kira which Ally could faintly make out was a question if she even knew what the mile-high club _was_.

She did.

And she was blushing bright red. Not from embarrassment but from anger. She was no one's second. And definitely _not_ Austin Moon's.

"Don't listen to them. They're just jealous they weren't the one to join the club with me," Austin laughed in her face. He was still walking right beside her. Ally took a deep breath. "Although, I wouldn't mind seconds."

"Leave me alone, Austin. Go brag about your dirty little deed somewhere else," Ally rolled her eyes at him before walking ahead just beside Piper. She opened her phone and resumed looking at her list on public transportation.

A while passed before Ally was swimming in words. Ally bit her lip as she read the pros and cons off the screen of her phone. She was sitting on a bench outside one of the clothing shops Piper and Kira had disappeared into. Austin was nowhere in sight too, and honestly, she couldn't care less.

The first two or three days of the debate competition they give you the topic. But after that they tell you right before you go up as well as which side you'll be debating on. Ally loved debate. It let her speak while making it sound like she knew what she was talking about. Also, it gave her a sense of power talking while everyone listened.

Ally hadn't realize that the mall as actually about to _close_ when she looked up from her phone. She was so busy in her own little world she had no idea what time it was. Ally panicked. She didn't know how to get out or get back to the hotel at all. Ally quickly searched up the directions back to the hotel and sighed with relief.

Once Ally got back to the hotel, it was just about to be curfew. She hoped that being out just _before_ curfew was fine.

She took a taxi back to the hotel. Great, wasted emergency money and they've only been in the city for four hours.

As she approached the front doors of the lobby, she saw Ms. Krum and Piper and Kira inside. Ms. Krum did not look happy. Ally wondered what was going on.

"But Ms. Krum, _honestly_ it was all a big mistake, we got dragged in there," Piper was saying. Her words sounded a little funny. She held the word _honestly_ longer than she needed to, and she looked like she was having trouble focusing on where Ms. Krum was. Suddenly, she turned and spotted Ally. Her eyes widened.

"L-look, there's Ally, she'll tell you," Piper said, pointing at her with a shaky finger. Ally looked up in surprise. "She was there too."

"Oh yeah," Kira interjected. " _She_ was the one who dragged us in there. And then she just left! She just left us there!"

"Ally, dear," Ms. Krum said. She called her dear, which made her feel special but at the same time she got teased about it.

Ally looked at Ms. Krum, then back to Piper and Kira who were supporting each other. It looked like if you poked one of them lightly, both would topple over in a laughing fit. They looked a little hysterical.

"Yes, Ms. Krum?" Ally answered, genuinely confused. Ms. Krum took a deep breath.

"Did you happen to take these two to a bar? I found them coming out of a bar just down the street without their buddies and they claimed you brought them there."

"What?" Ally exclaimed. "I didn't bring them to a bar? I was dragged to the mall to go shopping with Piper and Kira! And then they left me there without telling me where they were going!" Ally didn't mention Austin because he probably was off bragging about joining the mile-high club with Jace or some other shit.

"Is this true?" Ms. Krum asked Piper and Kira who were still stumbling and giggling in their matching miniskirts. Kira shook her head no but Piper gave in and grumbled.

"Maybe," she replied, her vowel sounds being slurred. Ms. Krum sighed angrily before marching over to the two girls.

"Going to a bar was not part of _doing whatever you wanted while being respectful of the rules_!"

"It's part of doing whatever we wanted," Kira mumbled. Ms. Krum blew off the steam coming out of her ears.

"I'm sorry you two, but I'm going to have to send you two back to Miami. I didn't realize I brought two immature young girls on this trip. This was supposed to be a debate trip. Not a _debate on which drink I should buy first_ trip!" Ms. Krum sighed angrily.

"But—"

"No buts! You two are going back, and that's that," Ms. Krum snapped. She rarely got mad at students but since this was her first time leading the debate team out, Ally guessed she wanted to do a good job. Ally knew there were always about two to ten students sent home each year on this trip. Couldn't handle the Canadian rules.

Bummer.

As Piper and Kira mumbled curses and stumbled into the elevator Ms. Krum turned to Ally. She smiled apologetically at her. "I'm sorry you had to witness that. And get left behind at the mall. Although I hear it's nice and there's lots of sales this time of year," she tried sympathizing.

Ally laughed lightly. She shook her head. "No worries, Ms. Krum. I actually was going over the pros and cons of public transportation during that time," Ally said. Ms. Krum smiled. She sighed afterwards.

"I'm sorry again that Piper won't be your buddy for this trip after all. I know you two are friends." Ally started sweating at this point. _Friends_ wasn't quite the word to describe their relationship, but she'll take it. "And it looks like Kira wasn't going to get to spend time with her buddy either. It's a shame I thought those two needed some bonding time."

Ally almost choked. Like _Kira and Austin_ needed bonding time.

"Wait, so the order _wasn't_ alphabetical?"

"No, actually. I just paired people who I thought needed to spend some more time together and to get to know each other better." Ally nodded her head but was secretly questioning that. Kira and Austin knew each other _very well_ if rumours were true.

"And now looks like two of those bonding moments won't happen." Ms. Krum sighed. "Ally, since Piper was your partner and Kira is—" Ms. Krum found her notebook in her bag, searching for what Ally believed to be is Kira's name. "—Austin's buddy. I say the best thing to do now is to pair you two up to be buddies for the remainder of the trip."

Ally blinked a few times. _No no no no no!_ She _cannot_ be buddies with Austin. All she wanted to do was to get Austin to leave her alone, forever. All he's done since she ever set foot into high school is call her a know-it-all and torture her until she had to set up a dartboard with the only picture of him that she hasn't gagged at yet. It was a school photo, which explained that. It was also a gift from Trish, which also explained why she had it.

All Ally wanted to do on this trip was enjoy Vancouver but with Austin as her buddy all she was going to do was get in trouble and go looking at girls with the last person she ever wanted to be stuck with her in an elevator.

She really hoped she didn't get stuck in an elevator with Austin Moon.

"Sorry again, dear," Ms. Krum smiled apologetically.

Ally smiled back, grinding her teeth together. "No worries."

* * *

 **Wowowowow. What's going to happen?**

 **It was actually really fun to write all those stereotypical Canadian jokes because well, I'm Canadian. There's actually even more in upcoming chapters so... It's gonna be great. Now that I'm scrolling back up, the paragraphs seem so long and condensed. I'm sorry you had to read all of that. You don't mind if you secretly skipped some of that. I would've too. Just kidding, it's too good to skip! Just kidding again.**

 **I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review and tell me what you think. Yeet.**

 _ **damn it**_


	2. ii

**Hello. I'm emo.**

 **But, being emo doesn't give an excuse for not poSTING A NEW CHAPTER SO HERE YOU GO. This chapter's lit. I'm not even kidding. I used the word lit like twice. Well, three times now. Or four. Maybedehh. Anyway, the short summary of the story might be changing as the story progress. I had initially wanted to put something else that wasn't "In which Ally is confused and it's all Austin's fault." but something else. And I think I might be changing that to my original idea soon. ;)**

 **I don't own anything. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Debate was at six.

Ally had already planned out her day. First she would eat breakfast at the buffet downstairs, since guests dined for free. Then, she would take her bath and read _Pride and Prejudice_ until she felt relaxed. There was going to be a group outing at three. They were going for a late brunch.

Her day was all planned out.

Ally brushed her teeth as she winked at her bathtub. She was so excited to finally have a dip in that luxurious tub. And read _Pride and Prejudice_ at the same time. That book was her child. Her joy. Her sunshine. Call it whatever, she has had that book through thick and thin. It was her favourite book. Her mother gave it to her even before she could read words. It was so special because that was the only memory she had of her mother.

Ally threw on some casual clothes. A purple tank top and a gray jacket with some jeans. She didn't feel the need to do anything to her hair except curl it like usual. She applied a minimal amount of makeup before making her bed and slipping on some comfy shoes that matched her outfit.

Ally hopped into the elevator and made her way down to the first floor, which was a buffet and an open-mic place. They had open-mic nights on Fridays. Ally already heard of some of her teammates talking about going to see the acts. Maybe perform themselves.

Ally grabbed some toast and some packs of butter along with a cup of coffee. She didn't want to eat much since they were going out for brunch later. Which meant she was probably going to eat a lot more.

It wasn't even nine in the morning and she was already over-working her brain.

Ally took a book wherever she went. It was just her thing. She liked having the feel of a physical copy of the book in her hand. She liked the feel of the book, the feel of the pages when she flipped them. The smell of their old pages, the look of bleeding ink on some of the words. It was glorious.

The best part was when she found good deals on old books at thrift stores.

She had _To Kill a Mockingbird_ with her. She read and ate toast and observed people at the same time. She was sitting at a table with only two chairs, one of them already being occupied by herself. She didn't mind sitting alone; it only gave her more privacy to read.

Ah, the day was going to be great.

Suddenly, Austin plopped down on the seat across from her, his plate almost knocking hers off the table. Ally gasped, catching her almost-empty plate quickly before glaring at him. He had a plate full of pancakes. They were stacked sky-high, drowned in syrup and a little pad of butter at the top.

 _Spoke too soon_.

"Morning, buddy!" He chirped happily. _Looks like Ms. Krum already told him about the new arrangement._ Ally was hoping to get by a few more hours before Ms. Krum told him. She just nodded her head in greeting before going back to reading. She didn't want to deal with him today. Or ever.

Why.

She read a few sentences before she heard extremely loud munching and slurping noises coming from who else but the person sitting across from her. Ally wrinkled her forehead in disgust. "Ew, could you eat any quieter?" _Or better yet, choose a different table? Preferably at the opposite end of this one._

Austin continued eating, his face buried in his plate. He looked up once he realized that she was taping the table in front of his face. "Huh?" Syrup dripped from his mouth.

Ally restrained herself from shrieking in disgust again. "Can you eat any quieter?" She asked, saying each word slowly as if she were speaking to a person who didn't understand English.

"Sorry, am I bothering you?" Austin asked, raising an eyebrow. Ally nodded her head. "That's a shame, bud." He continued eating. Ally rolled her eyes. She could see the smirk under his mustache of syrup.

The brunette rolled her eyes and buried her head into her book. Without looking at him, it seemed that the slurping noises _intesified_.

Austin burped.

Ally abruptly pushed her chair out. She decided she was done with breakfast after this. She picked up her plate and prepared to leave when she felt a hand grab her arm. "What's the rush?" Austin asked. He wiped his mouth— _thank god_. Ally yanked her arm out of the way.

 _I wanna get away from you._ "I'm going back to my suite. I have a bathtub in my washroom and I'm gonna take a bath," she said. Ally realized that she actually didn't have to tell Austin what she was doing, but was already too late.

Austin stood up with her. He was wearing a blue plaid shirt and some dark jeans. Ally spied a chain that looped around his belt loop, dipped down, then disappeared in his back pocket. A wallet chain, she supposed.

She never understood those. Like, what if you were getting mugged and the robbers were looking for your wallet? They could just yank on the chain and off they go with your money and identification.

"You have a bathtub in your suite?" He asked, wide-eyed. Ally nodded, smirking a little herself. She was probably the only one with an actual bathtub. Everyone probably had showers and the standard sink and cabinet. She brushed past him to go and sit in a tub full of warm water when he grabbed her arm again.

"Wait! There's this party later tonight, maybe at eleven and since you're my buddy I figured you would have to be my plus one—"

"What?" Ally turned on her heel, yanking her arm once again out of his grip. Her instincts took over so she blurted out the first thing that came to mind."No, I'm not going to a party at eleven. That's crazy. And past curfew!" She resumed to going back to her suite but Austin fell into pace with her.

"C'mon Know-It-Ally, live a little!" Austin followed her all the way to the elevator. Ally jammed her finger into the button, praying to the heavens that it was fast and that he wasn't going to step inside with her.

"It's been two days. How did you even get invited to a party in another _country_?" Ally asked skeptically. Austin shrugged his shoulders, his arm brushed hers while he did that. She looked at the elevator expectantly, willing it to hurry the fuck up.

"Hey, I make friends, bud. It's what I do. Maybe you should try it sometime. Lose the books and nerdy talk about school and you could actually pass as a cool person!" Austin said. Ally wasn't sure if he was sarcastic or not.

Ally was about to make a smart comeback but the elevator doors popped open at that exact moment. She stepped inside and jammed her finger on the _close door_ button. However, Austin hopped through the doors just as they closed. Ally sighed, pushing the button marked with her floor on it.

"So, what do you say? Personally, I think some adventure would do you good," Austin said casually. That still wasn't going to persuade her.

"I'm not going," Ally said.

"But you're my buddy. Where I go you go. You don't wanna get in trouble for not being with your buddy now would you?"

"I don't want to get in trouble going to a party past curfew where I don't know anyone!" Ally exclaimed. The elevator dinged at her floor. Ally rushed out the doors and found her suite fairly quickly. It was only a dozen steps from the elevator.

Austin followed her. Ally unlocked her door and prepared to slam it in his face but it caught on his foot. Austin opened it in one quick motion. Ally realized that this was the first time she had seen him without a hat on his head. His hair was messy and unkempt. It looked like it couldn't decide between standing at an odd angle or to flop into his eyes. She understood why he kept it hidden under a hat now.

She stopped herself from calling him _Hay Hair_.

"Holy crap, you really do have a tub!" Austin exclaimed. He raced into her bathroom to stare at it. Ally rolled her eyes. She went in after him and ushered him out, pushing his back out the door.

"Yeah, yeah. I was going to take a bath, so get out," Ally groaned, struggling. It was like he was made of steel. His feet weren't even moving. She was so out of shape.

"Could I join you?" Austin asked.

"As if."

"Hey, I'm not kidding. This tub business is a luxury. You, me, some foamy bubbles..."

"Hilarious," Ally said. She tried to control herself from blushing. Good thing his back was turned. "Now, get out!" She said. Austin wouldn't budge, no matter how hard she pushed. Her face was against his back, as well as her hands.

"Not until you agree to go to this party."

"I'm not going to the party."

"Please?"

"No, get out."

"Fine." Austin freed his feet from the ground. Ally almost lost her balance if it weren't for his shoulders. She let go immediately. Austin walked out of her room and she slammed the door shut. Ally sighed. She was actually sweating from all of that hard work.

"A well-deserved bubble bath. At last." Ally filled the tub up with warm water and some bubbles. She then got her _Pride and Prejudice_ book out and began to read. Ah, it was so relaxing. Ally grabbed her phone which was nearby on the bathroom counter. She put on some classical music as she enjoyed the images of the book in her head and the soft sounds of the woodwinds and brass instruments.

* * *

Ally lost track of time. Maybe she should've been paying attention to the temperature of the water in the tub, but she wasn't. It was nearly two when she got out of the bathtub. She didn't mind that she was all prune-y, she was going to walk it off later anyway.

Ally wrapped herself in a towel and dried herself off before putting on some brunch attire. A cozy sweater and the jeans she wore earlier would do. Ally fixed up her makeup and hair before tossing on her furry black boots that matched her sweater. She decided that she was going to tie her hair back instead of leaving it down. Ally pulled out a few strands to frame her face.

Ally realized that she was going to have to walk there and probably have to sit beside Austin too. Since she was his _buddy_ and all. She sighed, putting her _Pride and Prejudice_ book into her purse along with her phone and some pens and paper. Just in case. She also threw in a tube of lip gloss that she wore occasionally and a small compact. Just for show if she ever had to show someone her purse. To make them believe she was really a girl if anyone questioned it.

As if she ever used it.

Ally made her way down to the lobby where the rest of her teammates were already waiting. Ally decided she was going to have Trish sit on one side of her, just so she wouldn't be lonely. Trish was a good friend; her only real friend on this trip, as with last years'. She knew a few other people in debate of course, she just wasn't _friends_ with them.

Ally waited, blending into the group. Ms. Krum was already checking off names of people who showed up. Ally sighed, hoping that they were going soon. She was starting to regret only eating toast in the morning. She was starting to get hungry.

Ally smelled Trish before she saw her. That girl wore more perfume than the perfume store sold. Trish was like a walking perfume sample.

"Trish!" Ally called. Trish looked around for a bit before finding Ally squeezed in between a few people. The Latina walked over, her sparkly cheetah-print jacket flashing into Ally's eyes. Ally really loved Trish's sense of fashion. It had _confident young woman_ written all over it.

"Ally! Guess what?" Trish said, walking over to her. Trish took her phone out of her purse, pushing it right into Ally's face. Ally blinked a few times before moving her face backwards so she could actually see what it was.

It was a news article. " _Vancouverite Boy Wins District Debate Two Years In a Row_ ," Ally read. Below that was the picture of the boy. Ally stared at it.

Elliot.

"Trish!" Ally said in shock.

"Ally!"

"Trish!" She said more urgently, shaking this time. Elliot. They found him. He was going to be at the debate later. He was going to be one of the other teams they were competing against. She was actually going to see him again.

"I know Ally, I know. You can thank me later," Trish said, looking a little cocky. She fixed her jacket, dusting off a piece of invisible dust. Ally squealed in excitement. She was actually going to see him again. "I mean, it's not like you're even going to go up to him and talk to him or anything, so I don't get why you'd even be excited to—"

"Okay, gather around everyone!" Ms. Krum interrupted whatever Trish was about to say. Ally was in a way glad. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to reply to that, anyway. The group of people hustled around Ms. Krum who had her notebook in hand. "I'm going to be taking attendance and we'll be going to this nearby restaurant for brunch."

Ally noticed that a few people were missing even before Mrs. Krum called their names. She avoided calling Piper and Kira's names, as they were no longer apart of the trip. Ally glanced around, trying to count the heads before Ms. Krum could get to their names. She wanted to see for herself if she could figure out who was missing.

Ms. Krum took the attendance twice, since some people had just showed up. It was exactly three in the afternoon. However, still some people were missing.

"That's a shame," Ms. Krum announced. She told the people at the front desk if any of those people showed up that they were too late to join the brunch and should just go stay in their suites and prepare for the debate that was in three hours. They were probably going to finish before that anyway.

"Alright everyone, only two people taking up the width of the sidewalk. Buddy up! We don't want anyone getting lost!" Everyone groaned. They weren't in kindergarten anymore.

Ally looked around for her buddy. He was nowhere in sight. She looked past the heads of people getting together, buddying up and acting all pal-pal with each other, even though she knew some pairs hated each other's guts so badly they would rather scoop poop. Ally looked once again once the group of confused people cleared up. Still no sign of the ugly yellow hat. Or the ugly yellow hair.

The debate team walked down the street. The restaurant was a twenty minute walk. Everyone got to stretch their legs if they didn't already do so the day before. They landed yesterday at three; they've been in Canada for a day already and Ally has done nothing but taken a bath in Canada's holy water.

Ally trailed behind Trish and her buddy Jace. They were talking about popular tourist attractions to go see while they were in Vancouver, since neither of the two were even in the debate line up for the next two weeks. Ally didn't even know who other than herself was going to the debate tonight.

The restaurant was busy with customers out on their own brunches. It was the middle of February on a Monday afternoon. Most of the customers were old ladies out for brunch, or some people on their late lunch break.

Since the group was so big, they took up three long tables. Ally enjoyed the food and talking to Trish. It was fun eating out and talking to her best friend.

Since the meal was paid by the team funds, everyone ordered as much food as they could. Chuck even wanted to get the extras in to-go bags to bring back to his suite.

They got back to the hotel at five. It left the girls who were going just enough time to get ready for the debate. The guys had it lucky. They just had to throw on their fancy shirts and pants and shine their shoes and they were done.

Ally took a shower— even though she was still recovering from her bath. She washed her hair and dried it thoroughly. Ally took out her first outfit she already prepared for day one of debate; a black blazer over a white collared blouse and a black tube skirt. She topped all of that off with some reasonably-heighted black pumps. Simple.

Ally did her makeup and twisted her golden-brown hair into a bun. Buns made you look professional. Ally thought of putting on her glasses instead of contacts but decided against that. What if they accidentally got knocked off her face? She wouldn't be able to see for the rest of the evening.

Ally Dawson; always thinking ahead.

Trish bussed with her down to the place where they were going to debate. "Funny how we just used a bus when I'm going to be talking about the cons of public transportation," Ally mused. Trish rolled her eyes.

"Stop making yourself seem lame. If you're gonna see Elliot, don't you want him to think you're cool? Badass? Fighting crime with your words of wisdom in the game called debate?" Trish said. Ally blinked.

"You lost me at badass."

"Whatever, I'll be watching. Good luck!" Trish gave Ally a quick hug before slinking off to find a seat. Since the entire debate team was _supposed_ to be present, there were a lot of empty seats. Ms. Krum didn't care if the people who weren't debating came or not. Funny that group outings were more important to her than the actual _reason_ they were here.

Ally was a natural at debate. It was where she felt the most at home, speaking on topics that she couldn't normally give her opinions on without being asked. Here, during debate she could say whatever she wanted about the topics she were given and the side she was on. There was always two sides to everything.

Afterwards, when Ally had given her speech on the bad side of public transportation, she kept a close watch to the stage. They had to get through four rounds of debate tonight. It was going to take three hours. Surely Elliot was going to show up sometime?

Sadly, her prediction was wrong. After three and a half hours of sitting around, the debate dispatched until tomorrow. She hadn't seen Elliot yet. Maybe he was debating tomorrow. She wasn't in the line up tomorrow, since she said her part today.

Ally sighed, looking around for Trish. She had left her phone back in her suite at the hotel, which was a dumb thing to do. Trish was her bus-riding buddy. Ally walked out of the complex, pushing back stray hairs into her bun. She shivered as the night air settled on her skin. It was about nine forty-five at night, but it was cold as hell.

Ally was just about to go inside, maybe find a classmate she kind of knew and ask for a call or check her purse again when a taxi pulled up to the curb. Ally was about to move out of the way so the passenger could get out before she saw who the passenger was.

"Hey, buddy!" Austin hopped out of the cab, dressed in nothing more than a t-shirt with such a faded print she couldn't even make out the design and some ripped black jeans. Ripped wasn't even the right word. More like _shredded_. His ugly yellow cap was on his head, keeping his hair down.

"Hi," she said, a little wary of him.

"Need a ride?" He asked. Ally looked around for any other option. _Anything_. She really didn't want to get into a cab with Austin for a twenty minute car ride.

"Yeah, actually." She couldn't do it. Ally was freezing her fingers off.

Ally got into the cab, closely followed by Austin behind her. She sat on the left side of the back, right behind the driver. Austin sat on the other side of the seat, behind the shotgun seat. Ally wished the seat was longer. Maybe opposite ends of the Earth longer.

Then it hit her. "You weren't at the group outing earlier."

Austin shrugged. "Why were you looking for me?" He raised his eyebrows at her. His arm was up against the window rest of the door. He was biting his fingers. He seemed anxious.

"Yeah," Ally said almost matter-of-factly. "We need to walk beside our buddies. I walked alone because of you."

"Sorry Know-It-Ally, I had some business to attend too." He was playing cocky.

Ally's eye twitched. "Whatever," she mumbled. She looked out the window, willing the cab to get to the hotel faster. She was hoping Austin was going to pay for this ride. If he made her pay she was going to flip. Hopefully the Canadians didn't think she was being too rude. She didn't know if they had American stereotypes.

Ally memorized the looks of the streets that were close to the hotel. And these streets were nothing like that. "Um, this is the way back to the hotel right?" When she didn't get an answer, "Austin?"

He turned his head to look at her slowly. "Yeah?"

"We're going back to the hotel, right?"

Austin opened his mouth but nothing came out. She gave him a pointed look. "No... not-not really." Austin scratched the back of his neck.

"What do you mean, _not really_?" Ally asked. Austin looked at her, sucking in air through his clenched teeth.

"We're going to that party—"

"What?" Ally shrieked. Austin flinched. The driver looked at her through the rear view mirror. She smiled apologetically at him. "I already said I'm not going!"

"Come on, Ally! It'll be fun!" Austin threw his arm backwards and rested it between them on the headrest of the middle seat.

"I can't wear my debate clothes!" Ally sighed exasperatedly. Austin rubbed his temples with his right hand, the one that wasn't on the seat.

"You'll be fine, stop worrying about it. Besides, do you really wanna stay cooped up in your suite all night, reading?"

Ally looked away from him. Did she really? Surely a little fun couldn't hurt? She wasn't going to end up hungover the next day, right? Even if she did, she didn't have debate and she was technically, she was of legal drinking age in Canada anyway, so she wasn't actually getting in trouble with the law either.

"Stop over-thinking it," Austin mumbled. He was staring out the window. She realized that was probably directed at her but wasn't meant to be heard. "So, what do you say?" He turned back towards her.

Ally fidgeted with her fingers. What harm could one party do?

"I guess."

* * *

The music was too loud, the people were too sweaty, everyone was too drunk, people were throwing up, there was a guy just lying on the floor of the club. The lights were too bright, there were too many poor pretty girls that were getting hit on by drunk males.

"This is cool right?" Austin asked, leading her into the party. He walked a few steps behind her.

"Oh yeah, _totally_ cool!" Ally replied sarcastically. She couldn't be _more_ happy to be here, that's for sure. Ally glanced around. She felt out of place with her proper attire and her purse. Everyone else was wearing clothes like Austin. All ratty and old.

Everyone _here_ was all ratty and old.

She didn't fit in.

"Let's get some drinks," Austin said. He brushed past her. Ally followed him carefully. Did she want to drink? It was bad enough that they were out past curfew and that she was totally out of place at this club.

Ally followed Austin deeper into the club to the self-serve mini-bar. There, the blond whipped out a two glasses and a bunch of bottles. She marvelled at how he carried the two glasses in one hand and two bottles in the other.

She watched as Austin splashed some liquid into both cups, using a little liquid from each bottle. He passed the glass to her, some of the content inside spilling out. He put the bottles away, grabbing his own glass and bringing it up towards his mouth. "Cheers."

Ally tipped her glass towards him. She was sitting on a stool right beside the bar. The counter between the two. Ally took a small gulp of the liquid. It felt like a match just ignited in her mouth a fell down the channel of her throat and into the pit of her stomach. She screwed her face up, sticking her tongue out. Ally grabbed her glass and drank with more force.

"Woah, slow down," Austin chuckled. He tipped his own glass back into his mouth. Ally saw his adam's apple bob up and down. She felt funny; tingly. She licked her lips, which were kind of burning. She couldn't tell. Ally finished her glass in another big gulp, being careful not to spill any on her debate attire.

"Wow, know-it-all, I didn't you were a big drinker," Austin laughed as Ally licked her lips again, this time leaving her mouth wide open. She suddenly remembered that she had on some red lipstick. It made her seem more serious during debates. She was licking that sucker right off.

Austin was staring at her. He was saying something. "You want another one?"

Ally nodded vigorously. "Oh yesh."

Austin laughed, grabbing her cup and different bottles then before. "That first one was light, you mind if this one's a little different?" Austin popped the cap off a bottle of champagne. Ally shrugged, not really caring.

Austin pushed another glass towards her. The liquid was a little darker than last time. She gulped down that quickly, not minding the burn in her throat. She liked to imagine someone striking a match in her mouth and throwing it down her throat. It kept her grounded.

Ally was about to ask Austin for something less this time, but when she turned around, he was nowhere in sight. Ally huffed. " _You're my buddy! We're supposed to stick together_ ," she mimicked Austin from earlier to herself. Ally sighed, rubbing her forehead. She was feeling a little drowsy.

Ally spun around when she felt a tap on her shoulder. A guy just a sliver shorter than Austin was staring back at her. He had dark brown hair and a too-bright smile. Ally wondered how many whitening strips it took to pull that off.

"Hi," the guy said. He flashed his dazzling smile.

"Hello," Ally said. Albeit it came out more of a _hell_ then _oh_.

The guy chuckled. "Pretty lame party, huh?" He sat down on the stool across from Ally. His knees brushed her bare ones as he settled himself on the chair. He seemed to be drinking wine.

Ally nodded. Her brain was starting to feel slow and sluggish. "I got dragged to it by—" Ally looked around for Austin as her solid proof. He was still nowhere in sight. "—by my _buddy_."

"Your buddy?" The guy asked. He seemed genuinely interested in Ally.

"Yeah. His name is Austin. He wears an ugly hat and I can't seem to find him," Ally said. She couldn't really control what was coming out of her mouth anymore. The guy across from her raised his eyebrow.

"Your boyfriend?"

If Ally had liquid in her mouth right now, she would have sent it flying right into his face. "No, just a pain in the ass." The guy chuckled again, tipping his curvy wine glass towards her own sitting, empty on the table.

"Can I get you another drink?"

Ally nodded. Her chance to escape. "Oh, yes. _Please_." She shoved her glass into the guy's hand and took off as fast as she could in her proper heels. She didn't want to stretch her little heels. Ally ran past some people, apparently going _deeper_ into the club. She made it to a table where some burly-looking guys were trying to stand up, failing every time. Her vision was swimming.

Ally blinked, someone was talking to her but she wasn't sure who. She just nodded her head along to the voice and answered whatever question they asked.

Suddenly, someone else bumped into her. Ally spun around on her heel, looking around. It was another guy. This one was blond, but he wasn't Austin.

 _Would Mrs. Krum noticed if I brought the wrong blond back?_

"What's a pretty girl like you doing here?" The guy asked, leaning in close. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Leaving."

Ally decided she was going to get out of there. She ran towards what she thought was an exit but was really a bathroom. _Even better_. Ally busted the door open and locked herself in one of the stalls. Her head was beginning to pound against her skull. Ally took _Pride and Prejudice_ out of her purse and began to read.

Which was an awful idea.

After what seemed like an hour or more, Ally was trying to make sense of the words written on the page in front of her. She probably only flipped the pages of the book once or twice the entire time. She couldn't even remember what she was doing in the bathroom stall anymore.

Ally teetered on her heels as she stumbled out of the bathroom. The lights were still too bright, but the music sounded duller. Underwater, maybe.

She ended up talking to a bunch of people, gibberish flying out of her mouth. Someone asked her if she was speaking Russian.

Ally couldn't even see the faces she was talking to. She matched voices with moving mouths but couldn't pinpoint faces with their voice. She was actually beginning to enjoy herself now that she couldn't see anything.

Someone bought her another drink, which she practically chugged. Someone was dragging her to the dance floor and someone was talking to her again. Ally was having fun, but she decided that her feet were tired.

As Ally was backing away from the sounds again, she bumped into someone. She spun around quickly, which was again a bad idea. The toe of her heel caught under her other heel. She stumbled but the person she walked into helped her upright.

"Easy there," Austin mumbled. His hands were grabbing the insides of her elbows, holding her upright. She felt his chest against her back as he righted her upwards. Ally turned around. He laughed once he saw her face. "Having fun?"

Ally nodded her head. Up and down, up and down. He checked the time on his phone.

"Guess we should get going then. Let's get out of here," Austin said. He placed his big hand on the small of her lower back to direct her out. Ally stumbled a bit as he began to walk.

"Woa _aa_ h. Watsaa ruushh?" Ally asked. Her tongue felt too big for her mouth. Austin laughed. His voice sounded miles and miles away.

"First you were screaming and kicking and protesting this party. Now you don't wanna leave?" Austin asked. Ally stuck her too-big tongue out of her mouth at him.

Austin chucked again, waiting for her to right herself upwards, still keeping his hands on her frame. Ally was about to snap at him to keep his mitts off her.

"Hey, you little American shit! You were hitting on my girlfriend earlier!"

Austin and Ally both turned around at the same time. A very tall, very buff, very drunk and very mean-looking guy with a head full of orange hair came stalking towards them. Instantly, Ally wanted to get out of there _ASAP_.

"What?" Austin asked. Ally knew that tone. He used that whenever Ally told the teacher that he had flicked gum wrappers at her during History class.

"Don't act dumb. My friend here said you were hitting on her." The orange-haired guy pointed to another dark-haired guy. Ally instantly recognized him as the guy she was talking with earlier. Apparently, he had spotted her too and was giving her a pointed look.

"Well, sure I talked to her. We chatted about her unattractive overly possessive boyfriend which I understand is you." Austin rolled his eyes. "But I wasn't hitting on her."

"Like hell you didn't," the guy growled. He took a step towards Austin. "You're going to be sorry you ever said a word to her."

Austin pouted at the guy. "I thought Canadians were supposed to be nice." Even though he was shorter than the guy by a bit, the way he stood made him seem like the bigger person; arms crossed over his chest, legs loose and casually separated.

"Fuck off," the guy hissed. He had his fists clench.

"Sorry, I'm not too familiar with that Canadian expression. Does that mean, 'Have a good night, aye?"

"Austin!" Ally said through clenched teeth. They had to go now. She didn't want to be in the middle of a blood bath. Even so, she wouldn't want to see Austin's ass getting whooped, even though she would feel immensely satisfied by that. She was becoming aware that she was _drunk_ , and that it's past curfew and that they snuck out and now Austin was going to get pulverized.

"It means I'm going to beat you into a bloody pulp with my own two hands," the guy snarled, launching himself at Austin. Luckily, the blond ducked in time. Unluckily, Ally was right behind him. The redhead crashed into her, making her lose her purse and her dignity. Ally landed flat on her butt under some guy she barely knew.

Wonderful. That was the last time she was sneaking out.

Hands were helping her up. Her head was pounding. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" The redhead had turned back to Austin who was staring at her. He wasn't even helping her up. The redhead flung himself backwards, crashing into Austin's legs. At least Ally got up off the ground.

There was a tangle of limbs on the floor as Ally felt more hands help her up off the ground. She looked around, wondering if she should wait for her _buddy_ or flee the scene. At this point, she didn't even care. She was about to make a break for it when she felt the familiar feeling of someone's hand on her lower back.

"Ready to go?" It was Austin. Untouched.

"I-I though-h-t," Ally slurred. She pointed to the ground where there was a redhead and a blond in an immense fist fight.

"That's not me," Austin laughed. He grabbed her hand and waited until she stopped swaying. "Let's get out of here."

"Wait! Where-where's my purse?" Ally asked, but right when the question left her mouth she saw her purse and the contents of it spilled on the floor. No one really gave a damn, as they were watching the battle happening elsewhere. Ally scrambled away from Austin and began to pick her things up. Her compact, her lip gloss, pens—

"Hey, American shit."

Austin turned back towards Ally. "We gotta go."

"But—" Ally scrambled to pick up the last of her things. Her wallet, her paper—

"Now!" Austin hissed. He yanked on her hand so hard she got up in one fluid motion, stumbling after him. Austin and Ally fled the scene at full speed, whizzing out the club and past the other shops down the street. Everything blast by her face in a blur of colours.

Ally tried not to think of all the things she didn't pick up. A few pens were still on the ground, her extra scientific calculator, her pack of tissues. With a sinking feeling, she realized she missed the one, irreplaceable thing that she had dropped. Her copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ given to her by her beloved mom.

* * *

 **Told you it was lit. If you can count how many times I used lit I'll love you forever for reading this A/N. This chapter worked so well with everything else that's coming up, so. It's kinda crucial to the plotline. And if you didn't read carefully, you might've missed a few hints for some upcoming stuffs...**

 **And by that I meant that I didn't even use the word lit at all. I actually used the word ignited.**

 **Also, follow me on twitter: iconicmarano because I felt like putting this here. You can stalk me and become my friend and we'll live happily ever after! I promise I'm not lame and a loser or anything. Or you can just ignore this and block me. That's fine too.**

 **Thank you for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

 _ **dear ally,  
i love you to the moon and back.  
love, mom**_


	3. iii

**Hello. I will die. I'm dead. I have died. I died.**

 **Exams are next week. And I'm a mesS. There's so much stuffs to study and it's not cool at all! I'm so maddd. Okay, okay. Moving on to less depressing things... This is one of my favourite chapters! And notice how I said _one_ because there's actually better chapters than this. Hard to believe, right?**

 **I don't own anything. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Ally groaned.

Sunlight was streaming through her windows. She hadn't bothered to close her roman curtains when she made it back to her room at two in the morning yesterday. All she had done was crash down onto her luscious bed and shut down for the remaining hours before morning came.

" _Ugh_ ," she moaned. She was still in her debate clothes from the night before. The bun on top of her head was now a mound of hair that had drooped down to the back of her neck in a messy pile.

Her blazer was wrinkled, her skirt was caught on the edge of her foot, her shirt's top button had miraculously become undone.

Ally looked around. There was a beeping sound somewhere, but she couldn't detect where it was coming from. Ally spotted her phone on her bedside table. She grabbed it, making more noise than necessary. She stopped her alarm. She had set it for seven in the goddamn morning.

Why.

Ally looked at her messages next. She was still in bed. And her eyes were being blinded from the sun and the brightness of her screen so much that it hurt to open them. Her head was pounding, her mouth was dry, her throat hurt when she swallowed.

Ugh.

There were two texts from Trish.

 _sorry ally, i had to go i had an emergency to attend to  
and by that i mean i just couldn't sit through anymore debates sorry get a ride home from a cab or smt_

The next was from an anonymous number with a Vancouver area code. She opened the message.

 _it was great meating you last night! i really wanted to kiss you. you free to chat? it's dan by the way._

Ally blinked. Considering they wrote _meating_ instead of _meeting_ , she guessed it was someone's hungover text after just waking up. But then she read the rest of the sentence and her brain shut down again.

 _Who_ wanted to kiss her?

Ally thought back to last night. Everything was foggy in her brain. Was Dan that dark-haired guy she talked to? He didn't say his name. And she didn't remember giving her number to him. Or was it one of the guys she talked to before she went into the bathroom for three hours. She remembered someone with distinct green eyes. Maybe that was Dan.

Or maybe he was just a figment of her imagination and the text was fake and she was just seeing things.

Nope.

Ally groaned again, her head spinning with questions. The hangover that her body now claimed was _not_ helping her situation in any way possible. Unfortunately, the rest of the night was a complete blur. All she remembered was that Austin almost got beaten to dust. Which she didn't really mind. Except the fact that she was _his_ buddy and she would probably get in trouble if he came back to Miami in a full-body cast.

And Austin. Ugh. That was the last time she was ever going to agree to be his plus one for anything. He ditched her and was nowhere in sight most of the night. For fuck's sake, he was also hitting on some girl that almost got his ass whooped by the boyfriend?

And why was her alarm set for _seven fucking AM_? She was in the clear for debate, so why did she want to wake up at seven?

"Ally! The entire class is waiting for your ass downstairs," came a muffled voice from the other side of her suite door. She assumed it was Trish since Trish was the only one who knew where her suite was.

That was when she remembered they had to meet up for an early morning outing. A stroll through the city, Ms. Krum had called it. Ally groaned, rolling out of her tangled sheets. She hit the floor with a _thud_. It hurt less than her pounding headache.

She decided to text back to the number. If someone wanted to kiss her, she must've been appealing to them. Somehow.

 _great meating you too! can't chat right now. gotta run_

Too late. Ally realized she typed _meating_ too.

Ally scrambled to put on some decent clothes. She grabbed the first things that she saw in her drawers. A plain white t-shirt, her gray hoodie from yesterday and some black leggings. She never wore leggings unless it was an emergency; which this was.

Ally pulled the elastic out of her hair and walked into the bathroom. She looked like a mess. Ally redid her hair, her sloppy hands making it impossible for a decent ponytail. She decided to just leave her natural waves down, brushing them out slightly. Ally splashed some cold water on her face and tried rubbing away the bloodshot look in her eyes. It didn't help with her eyes, but it did wake her system up. Ally redid her makeup. Sloppily.

Once she looked a tenth better than before, Ally grabbed her black purse with just her phone and wallet inside this time, dumping everything else out. Ally made sure she had her room key in her purse. She threw on some black Nike shoes that she also brought just for emergencies and bolted out the door. She locked it from the inside so when she slammed the door, it would lock automatically.

However, when she ran out the door, she ran smack into someone's chest. Ally groaned, the shake rattling her thumping headache. Ally had screwed her eyes shut when she ran into them and was now opening her eyes slowly.

Austin.

"It seems like you're always in a rush," Austin said. He laughed but stopped once he saw her face. All blotchy and _eugh_. "Woah, hangover?"

"Whadda you think?" Ally said. Her tongue still felt a little sloppy, but it wasn't too bad. Austin gave her a semi-sympathetic look.

"That sucks," Austin said. They walked along side each other into the elevator where a few other guests were inside. They didn't say anything in the elevator but Ally thought of something to say once they were in the lobby.

"How are _you_ not in a massive hangover right now? You drank more than me." Ally eyed him suspiciously. She took a sniff of the air surrounding him, hoping to catch a whiff of stale beer or cheap cologne, but there was nothing there but the ever present scent of the Miami beach.

"Practice," he chuckled. He took his snapback off and ran a hand through his hair before placing his hat back on his head. They were waiting in the lobby by Ms. Krum and a few other people. Only a few people were missing from the group now. Ally was surprised to see more people going to an early morning outing rather than the afternoon one yesterday.

Austin dug around in his pocket before producing a small rectangle covered in a shiny, matte wrapping paper. A piece of gum. "You sure you're going to make it through the day?" He handed her the piece of gum.

Ally refused it, shaking her hands out in front of her. Maple _gum_ wasn't her thing. "You tell me. With all that _practice_ I'm sure you can tell." Ally shook her head. "I can't believe you convinced me to go to that party. God, I'm never drinking ever again."

Austin laughed, popping the gum he offered her into his mouth. He crumpled up the wrapper and stuffed it into the pocket of his ripped jeans. He wore a red cashmere sweater with his black jeans and black high-top Chucks. His snapback was plain black. "Didn't seem like it. When I went to check on you about an hour in, seemed like you found someone to replace me."

"What?"

"Yeah, you were talking with this other blond dude by the washroom. Looks like you were having fun," Austin informed her. He popped his gum once then twice.

Ally stood up straighter, looking at him seriously. "Did you catch his name?"

Austin gave her a side-glance. "No, why?"

"No reason," Ally sighed. Austin frowned at her. That was when Ms. Krum called everyone to grab a bite. After that they were having a half hour walk before entering Science World near downtown of the city. It was what it's name said it was, a museum full of interactive science shit. Ally wasn't sure her legs could take her that far. Or that last night's booze would stay down.

Ally didn't say much as everyone ate some food. She sat down at a quiet table in the corner of the buffet. Again, still trying to work off her headache. She groaned, putting her head down on the table. No one disturbed her.

She thought about taking her phone out and checking for another message from her mysterious lover. She then decided against it. If she put anymore thoughts into her hurting head, it was going to explode and all her secrets would be out in the open.

Probably in the form of vomit.

"Hey." Someone nudged her shoulder gently. Ally shook her head, not wanting to get up. Truth was, she wasn't sure she could even lift her head. "Are you asleep?" Two hands, both on her shoulder, rocking her awake. Ally blinked, lifting her head up.

Austin was staring down at her, his eyes unwavering. Ally shook her head, groaning when her headache hit her. She stood up slowly, letting out a deep sigh.

Austin led the way out of the buffet into the lobby. After Ms. Krum made sure everyone was paired up, she headed out the door.

The debate team walked down the streets for a while, breathing in the fresh morning air and the daily life. Ms. Krum talked to whoever wanted to hear what she had to say, which wasn't more than two or three people. Most people didn't even give a damn about the 'two person per sidewalk' rule anymore. They were walking in clumps, checking their phones and chatting loudly.

Poor strangers. Having to squeeze through the sides of the mob of American debate students.

Austin walked alongside her. He was on the outside of the sidewalk and she walked close to the buildings and shops.

Ally zipped up her jacket then kept her hands in her pockets because _Jesus Christ_ it was cold out. She shivered a little as a gust of wind swept by. She saw some leaves on the ground; red, brown, orange. It was actually really beautiful.

Austin popped his gum.

Ally tried to bury herself deeper into her jacket. It was so warm. And she was so cold. Ally wished she had brought a thicker jacket. And maybe some actual pants. She was glad she left her hair down, her neck wouldn't have been able to stand the cold wind.

"What's up, Ally? You're not even telling me to piss off." Austin was fidgeting with his hat. He kept pushing his hair back and placing the hat on his head again. It was annoying Ally a lot.

"I'm too tired to tell you to piss off," Ally sighed truthfully. She was actually thinking about the mysterious Dan who had texted her. She definitely did not need Austin Moon butting into her personal life. Or tell him about some guy who wanted to kiss her at the party. He'd probably laugh his head off and ask her for wedding photos and an invite to the bachelor party just for the free wine.

"I don't believe you," Austin said, studying her face. He was leaning down just slightly to study her downcast eyes.

They made their way into Science World. Again the club fund was paying for the trip.

"Alright, everyone. Buddy up and explore. Some exhibits are interactive!" Ms. Krum said. She was too over enthusiastic about the entire thing. "Hopefully you will all learn something today!" Ms. Krum walked away with the people who didn't have their buddies with them in a small group. Ally wondered why they didn't just buddy up with each other.

Ally and Austin walked in silence for a bit before they came to an exhibit about the human body. About the bones and the organs and all. Ally mostly saw little kids around. It was a kid museum. Ally didn't mind. It was fun to get her mind off everything else.

"Seriously, what's up? We're in a museum, know-it-all. Why aren't you rambling about the types of things that cause brain cancer?" Austin asked. He popped his gum again. He pointed to an exhibit about reptiles. Ally refused to look. "What happened last night?"

His voice was soft when he asked her, a touch of concern hidden in there. Ally was almost moved to tell him for a second but then decided against that. "Nothing. It's nothing."

Austin nudged her with his arm. "C'mon admit it. It's something, alright."

"I don't wanna talk about it," Ally stammered. She licked her lips which were a bit dry. She needed some water.

"Oh come on, it's not like you got laid last night," Austin said, rolling his eyes. "I'm pretty sure your night wasn't _that_ wild."

Ally huffed. "Hey!"

Austin raised his eyebrows at her. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Leave me alone, Austin."

Austin huffed this time, popping his gum in her face. He turned his attention towards the reptile exhibit, looking at some snake that was shedding its skin. Ally sighed, plopping down on a bench and taking her phone out that was buzzing with a new message. It was from Dan.

 _hopefully we can talk some other time?_

"Who's Dan?" Austin asked. He was reading over her shoulder. Ally mentally cursed herself. _Stupid bad habit of putting everyone's name in my phone!_ Ally almost fell off the bench. She turned away.

"No one!" She said a little too quickly. She fumbled, trying to put her phone back into her purse.

"Come on, I'm your buddy. You can tell me anything!" Austin sat down beside her and threw his arm over her shoulder. This action startled her, which was exactly what he wanted. He snatched the phone out of Ally's hand. He took off sprinting down the hall into the wildlife exhibit.

"Hey!" Ally chased after him, grateful she put on her Nikes instead of her furry boots.

But damn, that boy can run.

Ally chased him all the way deeper into the wildlife exhibit. She saw some birds and an outdoor rain forest that people were walking through. It was pretty cool. Sadly, her main priority right now was to get her phone back.

Austin was running just ahead of her, her phone in his hand. He was reading her text message to Dan. And he was smirking.

Ally caught up to Austin, grabbing the back of his shirt and yanking him back towards herself. Austin stumbled but the phone was still in his hand. He held it above his head.

"Who's Dan?" Austin asked again, the smirk on his face inevitable. Ally felt heat rush into her face.

"I don't know."

"You gave some random guy your number?" Austin asked. He laughed, wheezing even. Ally thought he was choking on his gum but he was just laughing extremely hard.

She wouldn't have minded the former.

"This is all your fault!" She huffed, jumping up and trying to reach her phone. Austin held it fully out of her reach. Ally was still holding onto his arm, trying to use it as leverage to get her phone.

"How is it all my fault you got some mysterious Canadian lover." Austin shook his head at her, easing his arm out of her grasp. "Look, I just want to help my buddy."

"Right, like you helped me yesterday at that party where you left me for hours at a bar in a different country where I got tackled to the ground because of a fight you started. I even lost my _Pride and Prejudice_."

"I'm sure your pride is fine. Not sure what a _prejudice_ is but we can get that back too," Austin said, looking confused.

"What? No. It's a—"

"The point is, I wanna help you. How often does that offer come around?" Austin said. He still held her phone high above his head. Ally crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm listening." Because what else could she say?

Austin narrowed his eyes at her. Then looked at the text message. "You like this guy?"

"I don't even remember what he looks like."

"Surely you'd like to know if he's nice or not. Clearly, it looks like he was drunk, since he said he wanted to kiss you," Austin said sarcastically.

"Hey!"

"Anyway, with my help, I'm sure we can figure out who this guy is. And maybe buy you some ice cream after he realizes that sober you isn't as great as drunk yo—"

"Austin!" Ally sighed, reaching up to grab her phone again.

"Look, I can get anyone to fall in love with me."

Ally snorted. "I find that hard to believe."

Austin let the comment slide. "I can help you get this guy to fall for you. It's easy. Just let me do the texting," he said.

"What's the catch?" Ally asked, eyeing her phone high above his head. She wished she was taller. Or have wings so she could fly and smack him in the face with her big wing.

"Well, I haven't thought about that yet," he said, scratching his head. "But I'm probably going to get into some sticky shit in Vancouver. A favour is all I ask in return," Austin said.

Ally thought about it for a bit. A favour. Sticky shit. A single favour. Ally sighed. "Sure. Why not?" What did she have to lose. She already lost her 'pride and prejudice' as Austin had said.

"Great!" Austin said, smirking. He handed her back her phone. Ally typed in her passcode and read him the latest text from Dan. Austin nodded his head.

"Why don't you text him right now?"

"I don't know what to say. I don't even remember a Dan from last night," Ally said truthfully. Austin snatched the phone from her hand.

"Oh, there's a new text." Austin showed Ally her phone. " _Maybe we can meet up tonight?_ "

"Oh my god, I'm not sneaking out again," Ally said, covering her face with her hand. "Besides, I'm watching the debate tonight with Trish." Austin instantly typed something into her phone. He pushed the phone into her face to show her what he had written.

 _i'm busy tonight. got things to do. but i'll be thinking of you ;)_

Ally blinked. "You jerk!" She swatted his chest with her hand. He grabbed it in one quick motion, bowing down with a smirk on his face.

"Such violence and language for a lady," Austin teased. "What's wrong with what I typed in?"

"It sounds, I don't know. Weird." Ally made a face. Austin shrugged. Just then her phone rang, displaying Dan's number on the screen. Austin answered the phone before Ally could even decide what to say.

"Hello there, delicious. What's cooking good looking?" Austin said, making his voice phone-sex-operator deep.

That was it for Ally. She took a flying leap towards him, knocking him down towards the carpeted floor and the phone out of his hand. Ally went down with him, landing on top of him. Austin rolled away to the left, almost squishing her under him. She scrambled out of the way but pulled on his shirt, dragging him back towards her.

Austin had gotten a hold of her phone again, but Ally wasn't going to let him get away that easily. She pounced on top of him again— his back this time, thank the heavens— trying to grab her phone from his outstretched arms. "Give it back, Austin!"

Austin had rolled away from her again, leaving her on the floor. He was on his back, smirking as he looked at her phone. Ally liked how he looked on the floor, where the rest of the trash was.

Ally thought of a plan. She was going to run by fast, snatch the phone out of his hand and bolt out of this goddamn exhibit and into another one. Maybe that outdoor jungle one. It looked cool.

But just as Ally had began to run towards him and execute her plan, she tripped over his legs. Ally let out a shriek before landing on top of Austin once again. He was surprisingly soft. Ally realized that she was going to have to climb up further is she wanted to reach her phone. She was practically straddling him already.

And her pride was gone anyway.

Ally was about to grab the phone from his hand. She had one hand on his stomach as leverage, reaching out with her other arm. Ally assumed he had ended the call since he wasn't talking anymore. Thank God.

"Having fun?" Austin asked, smirking. With two quick movements, he had flipped both of them over, his body hovering over hers; her shoulders pressed firmly into the ground. Ally blinked. When did that happen? What kind of sorcery was this? Austin was smirking at her. He was so close to her she could smell the Miami beach on his clothes and the maple gum in his mouth.

Austin popped his gum.

"Mr. Moon and Ms. Dawson!" Ms. Krum's voice boomed. Austin rolled away from her, leaving her lying on her back. Ally scrambled to her feet, fixing her jacket, her hair. Anything that needed to be fixed. Ally heard the clicking and clacking of Ms. Krum's shoes on the floor. "Tell me, why oh why, are you two wrestling on the floor of the wildlife exhibit?"

"We— what?" Ally asked, her face flushing. She was out of breath. Ms. Krum just shook her head.

"Since you and Mr. Moon have wasted your outing hours, I'm afraid you'll have to visit another cultural place on your own time. I expect an essay from both of you on your adventures. At least a thousand words. And they better not be filled with wrestling on any public floors."

Ms. Krum sighed. "I expected better from you, Ally."

Ally blinked in disbelief. Austin stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets. Ally saw him pop his gum. She sighed angrily. "It won't happen again, Ms. Krum."

"Good. Now, hurry up. We're leaving. Get ready for tonight's debate." Ms. Krum walked away from them.

"You _asshole_ ," Ally hissed once Ms. Krum was out of hearing range. Austin just shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"Hey, you tackled me. I wasn't even doing anything," Austin said. He raised his hands up in a surrender. Ally frowned. He actually didn't do anything except hold her phone captive. Ally was all to blame. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Whatever."

Before Ally knew what was happening, Austin tossed her phone towards her. Ally caught it, thankful she didn't drop it. He walked away whistling, fixing his hair with his hand and placing the cap back on.

Ally sighed, following in suit.

* * *

Ally decided she was going to go to the debate, just for fun. Trish promised to stay with her this time.

"You sure Elliot's going to be at this round?" Ally asked, looking over the heads of some of the people. Trish had brought fashion magazines with her to read. Just goes to show how much Trish loved debate.

"Yes I'm sure. He goes to _this school_ —" Trish tapped the name of the school on the list of schools debating tonight. "—and he's going to be here tonight. He's debating on round six. You've got an hour to kill, Ally."

Ally nodded, fixing her recently curled hair with her hands. She pulled her skirt down, fixed her blazer, checked her purse for her essentials. Everything was where it was supposed to be. Now all she had to do was wait.

Ally hated waiting.

She sighed, thinking back to earlier. _Goddamn it, Austin!_ Why did he have to be such a pain in the arse. It was bad enough that they had to go out and find something _cultural_ by themselves. He also probably scared the living daylights out of Dan when he answered that call.

Dan.

Ally checked her phone, which she hadn't done since Austin had tossed it back to her three hours ago. Ally scrolled through her messages. There was a new one from Dan.

 _too bad you're busy i could really use some company right now_

Ally sighed with relief. His text didn't say anything about having the living shits been scared out of him. Ally texted him back.

 _is it too late to say sorry now?_

 _cheeky_

 _maybe we can meet up 2morrow nite?_

 _sounds great! text me where_

Ally grinned. This guy liked her dorky humour. Ally shut her phone off as the debates began to take place. She saw two people go head to head on the topic of how 'single-sex schools are better for education.' Ally listened carefully to the words. She was still on the fence with this topic when the opposition pulled out a very good point about how they won't be able to talk to the opposite sex in future situations because they weren't used to it.

Ally clapped once the debate was finished. She was definitely still on the fence for the topic, but it was fun to see through the mind-set of other people's eyes for a while.

Round six was coming up. Ally got giddy, putting her hands under her legs to stop her excitement from seeping through. "Calm down, Ally. They haven't even announced his name yet," Trish laughed. The Latina went back to reading her fashion magazine.

Ally let air out of her cheeks. "I mean, don't you think we're meant to be? Like, fate brought us back together, here, now. Don't you think it means something?"

Trish huffed. "You're crazy."

Ally gave the Latina a pointed look. "Really? What about you. That one day you decide to go shopping and you find out everything's on sale."

"You call that _luck_ , not _fate_ ," Trish replied. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, diving right back into her fashion magazine. Ally prepared a snappy retort.

"History is an important subject in school," a voice boomed. Ally snapped her head towards the source of the sound.

Elliot.

He has a suit on. It was the first thing she noticed. A nice suit with crisp blue lapel and a sharp cuffs. A navy blue tie matched his lapel cloth. His teeth were so nice. The suit made his shoulder look broader. It got people's attention. Did he get handsomer since last summer?

And _dang_ , that jaw.

"Is it hot in here or is it just me?" Ally asked Trish, using a hand to fan herself. She realized Elliot might have seen her debate yesterday, if he was watching that was. Ally wasn't worried. She did good yesterday. She won that round.

Ally couldn't really focus on anything else coming out of the opposition's mouth. She could stare at Elliot's mouth for hours and hours.

Hours.

He had such nice facial structure. And the suit was clearly restraining his arms from their full potential. Ally licked her lips. She was going to talk to him once he finished his debate, alright. She was going to talk to him.

She was going to talk to Elliot.

 _Oh my god, I cannot talk to Elliot._

Claps invaded her thinking as the two debaters walked off the stage. Ally felt a nudge on her shoulder. "There's your chance, go talk to him," Trish hissed. She was pushing Ally with her hands. "Go, go!"

"Wait, what? What do I say? Do I look okay? How's my hair?"

"Go talk to him before he leaves or something!"

Just as Ally turned around she ran smack into someone's chest. Again. It was the second time that day that she had gone face-to-chest with someone. She hated being short.

Ally sighed, clenching her eyes shut and holding her hands together. "Sorry!"

"Hey, no worries." Ally opened her eyes.

Elliot.

 _Ohmygodohmygodohmygod._

"H-hi!" Ally stammered. _Oh my god._

"Hey," Elliot said. "I didn't think I'd see Ally Dawson here at a debate competition," he chuckled. He was fixing the cuffs on his sleeves. Ally almost wanted to faint. Or throw up. She was eight hours in the clear in her hangover, she can't throw up now.

"Oh, yeah. Haha! Yeah, I joined debate last year for the junior trip. Turns out debate is better than I expected!" Ally laughed slightly, hoping she was pulling this off. Whatever _this_ was.

Elliot didn't roll his eyes at her or call her a dork or whatever. He just nodded his head and laughed with her, not _at_ her. "Oh yeah, I remember. You were working on pros for 'animal testing should be banned' on day one, right?"

"Y-yeah," Ally stammered. How did he even remember that? Even she didn't remember what her day one debate was. It was a year ago, for god's sake. "Now you're on a different team."

"I'm still Elliot," he laughed. Ally smiled. Her ears perked up once she heard his name being called. Elliot swivelled around, locating some people who were waving him over. He waved back. "Sorry, I gotta run. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow night or something?" They had debate in the morning tomorrow.

He wanted to hang out with her! "Yeah, that'd be cool."

"Great! I'll see you after debate tomorrow?" He called, being dragged by his friends over to the group of friends. Ally nodded her head.

"Yeah!" Once Elliot was out of sight Ally turned back to Trish who had her phone out.

"Did you see that?" Ally shrieked. She was hopping up and down, full of energy and excitement and maybe she was a little sweaty, too. Trish laughed, nodding her head.

"I caught it all on camera."

"Oh my god. He talked to me. He found me and he decided he wanted to catch up with me so he walked over he and talked to me! Me! He talked to me. Elliot talked to me _and_ he wants to hang out after debate tomorrow. Oh my god, he said tomorrow night. What if it's a dinner date or something, what if—"

"Shh!" Someone shushed her. Even though it was the two-round break, and everyone was walking around and stretching their legs some asshole was still annoyed she was being too loud.

"Slow down, Ally," Trish laughed, still holding the phone towards her. "But don't you have to go find some cultural shit with Austin tomorrow?"

Ally's stomach dropped. "Damn, you're right." Ally thought about it further. "Debate starts at nine, ends at twelve. We have that sightseeing outing until three. And then Austin and I have to find some stuff to go write about. I give that four hours— he's really a pain in the ass— so that's seven o'clock..."

"So that leaves you free the rest of the night for Elliot! Three hours for the man of your dreams!" Trish said. Ally smiled, but something dropped even further in her gut. She had already asked to meet up with Dan tomorrow night. She was either going to have to cancel on Dan who adored her humour. Or Elliot, who was her life-long crush.

Ally took her phone out.

 _actually, i'm sorry. i can't meet up tomorrow night.  
something came up. maybe some other time?_

 _yeah, totally fine.  
wow, maybe i should've kissed you that night after all._

* * *

 **MY FAVOURITE PART OF THIS WAS THE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE THING. I couldn't stop laughing. Austin's so dumb. :)**

 **So yeah. That was fun. I hope you enjoyed everything. I'm going to be dead for the entirety of next week. I'm surprised entirety is a word. I just thought it sounded right and apparently it is.**

 **Thanks for reading. Please leave a review and tell me what you think! (Ya'll are lacking in reviews. I wanna know what you thought of the chapter! Guysss! :((()**

 _ **likes meat**_ **_humour_**


	4. iv

**hahaha hi**

 **I'm currently drowning in exams.**

 **I like this chapter. But the sad thing is that it's _short_. Shortest one so far, sorry ya'll. BUT I PROMISE THE CONTENT IS WORTH IT. You'll be content with the content. Get it? :)))**

 **I don't own nothin! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _stay away from austin he's not interested_

Ally laughed over the text she received from Piper. Word spread that the two had "wrestled" on the floor of Science World. What a bunch of bullshit. Now Piper thought that she was _actually_ after Austin.

As if she'd go near him in the first place.

She'd rather live without her thumb than even breathe the same air as him.

Ally forward a screenshot of the text to Trish. She and Trish had spent over _two hours_ laughing their heads off. Trish even replied back to Piper for Ally.

 _i could say the same about you_

Elliot wasn't at debate that morning. He already did his debate last night. It was sad their days were separate from each other. It would've been much more convenient for their debates to be on the same day.

Then she could say an empowering speech _and_ stare at an empowering mouth. It was a win-win situation.

Ally sighed, sitting in her suite, reading _The Catcher in the Rye_. Her brain was tired, but at least it wasn't mercilessly pounding inside her skull like yesterday.

Ally stretched her neck and groaned when it cracked. She had been sitting for a while now. She decided to stretch her legs. Ally hopped off her bed and placed her bookmark to keep her place. She threw her hands over her head and groaned, making an animalistic noise.

"Ah," she sighed. Ally glanced back at her book and shook her head. She needed to get ready.

Ally hummed, wondering what she should wear. She had a half an hour before she had to meet up with the rest of the team. Sightseeing. Why did they have to go on so many outings. It was honestly messing with her system so much.

At least they didn't have an outing tomorrow.

Ally picked out another casual outfit. She decided her black Nikes were the best shoes for all outings now. Sightseeing. What was the proper attire to just... _sightsee_?

Ally picked out a red, long-sleeve shirt. A pair of her favourite jeans and her trusty ol' gray hoodie. It was her favourite hoodie. It was warm and cozy. Ally already learned that it could, in some way, withstand the wind chills. She shrugged, throwing it on. Her makeup was light, like always. Her hair was down, like most of the time.

Ally grabbed her purse. Phone? Check. Wallet? Check. Suite key? Check. Everything was in place.

Ally unlocked the door of her suite, closing it behind her and locking it with her golden key. She looked around for Austin. Since they were going out in public of course Ms. Krum was going to make them buddy up.

The blond was nowhere in sight. Ally sighed, not really sure if she was surprised or not. They did have to find something else to write about later too. Ally had been searching things up on her phone all night last night. 'Sights to see in Vancouver.' She still hadn't decided on where they should go. It had to be _cultural_.

Ally rode the elevator down to the lobby where she grabbed a bite of eggs and bacon and a drink of water before storing the bottle in her purse for later. She loved the buffet, she really did. It was _oh_ so convenient. Who doesn't love free delicious food?

"Reaffy to go?" Ally looked up from her plate of food. Austin had his mouth stuffed with a breakfast sandwich, two more in both of his hands. He ate like a horse. Ally wrinkled her nose.

"Finish those sandwiches first," she said. Austin shrugged, swallowing his first sandwich before taking a huge bite out of the one in his right hand. Ally checked over what he was wearing. Blue snapback, white t-shirt with a bunch of words that she supposed was supposed to be clever word play, black jeans and his black Chuck Taylors.

Did he ever change those Abercrombie jeans?

"How wahh debate -ast nighhf?" Austin asked. He was finishing his last sandwich. Ally twirled her fork around in her eggs.

"Great," she tried to keep a straight face. _Don't smile, don't smile, don't smile._ Elliot's face popped into her mind. "Yeah, it was fun." Ally licked her lips. "What did you do yesterday night?"

Austin turned towards her, giving her a pointed look. He finished the three of his four breakfast sandwiches. "You _really_ want to know what I did last night?" He raised his eyebrows at her. Ally made a face.

"Never mind."

"Thought so," he laughed. Austin took a sip of his water before finishing the last of his sandwich. Ally finished the rest of the food on her plate before gulping down her water. The two walked out into the lobby where the rest of the debate team was waiting. Outings were tiring.

"Where are we going today?" Austin asked. Ally frowned. Did he seriously not know?

"We're sightseeing," she informed him. The blond nodded his head appreciatively. Ally spotted Trish and walked over to her, leaving Austin to his own devices.

"Trish!" Ally said once Trish was in earshot. Trish turned her head to look at Ally and smiled suggestively.

"Ally! How was your night? Great? Better? Dream of anything? A certain brown-haired guy with blue eyes?" Trish asked, making hand gestures to show how _magical_ Ally's night must have been. Ally made a face at Trish.

"Great. And no, I didn't dream of anything," she said. Trish shrugged her shoulders.

Ms. Krum led the group out the door and into the early morning of Vancouver. Ally breathed in deeply, the cold air filling her lungs and making her feel oddly peaceful. She could get used to these early morning strolls when the sun was just peaking through the cracks in the buildings and the birds have just began to chirp their lovely songs.

The city life was aesthetically pleasing. Everyone out and about, up even more the sun rose, already accomplished five things since they woke up, finished two cups of coffee. It was beautiful.

Ally found Austin trailing at the back of the group, his nose buried in his phone. Of course they were out on a beautiful morning and all he wanted to do was look at the screen of his phone. "Austin."

He looked up. "Know-It-Ally."

"It's just Ally. And stop looking at your phone and enjoy the scenery," Ally sighed. Austin took no notice of her and went back to texting, nose-deep in his phone. Ally sighed again, focusing her attention on the lifestyle of the people in the city.

Some people were sitting at tables in outdoor cafes, chatting with each other and just being interactive. She saw some people going early-morning shopping at a thrift store and finding some pretty wicked-cool stuff.

They had been walking for a while now, and were making their way downtown. All the streets became increasingly busy down there.

The group entered a little place called Coal Harbour. It was right by the Fraser River. Ally could smell the early morning waves, crashing against the shore near the bottom of the fenced ledge they were standing on.

As they approached their first destination, Ally saw the giant thing before she even knew what it was. It was a giant raindrop.

Ms. Krum stopped the group to show what she had first on her map. "This is a sculpture called The Drop."

It was a giant, blue, slanted raindrop that was pointed sixty feet skyward. It seemed to be made of steel and other materials Ally couldn't quite identify off the top of her head.

"It was built in 2009 and is a little tribute to all the nature and water around here," Ms. Krum read off her notebook. Ally laughed as some of her debate team members went right away to take photos beside the thing.

"Why would they have a statue of a giant raindrop in a city that rains so much anyway?" Someone asked out loud. Laughs arose from the group and murmurs of agreement went around. Ally nodded her head in approval.

 _What's up with that?_

She watched her teammates take silly photos and serious photos with the statue. They walked for a while just for this.

It was kind of anti-climatic.

Ally watched as Dez Wade walked the opposite way suddenly. He moved further away from the group, further away from the raindrop and had his buddy take his photo with his fingers spaced apart as if he were holding an invisible box.

Ally instantly got it. He was taking a photo as if he were a giant and _he_ was holding the giant raindrop. Smart.

"Ally!" Austin popped into her thoughts. "Take a photo of me and the raindrop!" Austin handed her his phone and raced to the raindrop. She rolled her eyes but was moved by his child-like enthusiasm.

Austin posed by hugging the raindrop and giving the camera a content face. Ally laughed and snapped a few pictures, landscape and portrait.

Austin ran back towards her. Ally could smell the Miami beach even though they were literally on the shore of another body of water. "Let's take one together."

"Together?" Ally asked, wrinkling her nose at the thought. "Great, so I'd have a picture of me _and_ you for my dartboard. My aim's gotta get better."

"Very funny," he rolled his eyes. Austin grabbed her arm and passed his phone to Jace who was standing nearby. Ally fumbled with her own phone and gave it to Trish.

Ally thought of what kind of pose to do but Austin looked like he already had that figured out. "Let's do a funny pose."

"Hey, at least you've got that down," Ally said, deciding to make a face at the camera. Austin frowned at her, turning his head to look at her from his position where he was laying on the ground sideways.

"Hey!"

"Say cheese!" Jace and Trish said at the same time.

Apparently, they both missed the cue as Ally decided to stick her tongue out at Austin when he turned to look at her. Austin got up off the ground as Ally turned to look at the camera at that exact moment. Jace and Trish handed them their phones, respectively.

When they both got their phones, Ally immediately knew what Austin was going to say.

"You ruined the photo!" Austin sighed at her, although his mood was light. Ally looked at him skeptically.

"What do you mean _I_ ruined the photo?"

"We're not even looking at the camera."

"I'm sorry, I looked at you for some funny inspiration," Ally said. _Nice one, Ally!_

The photo turned out like this: Ally sticking her tongue out at Austin with her eyes screwed shut and Austin staring at Ally like he couldn't believe his eyes. He looked like he was on the verge of laughter.

Ally actually liked how the photo turned it. They were far enough apart that she wouldn't hit herself with a dart by accident. And also that it was kind of... _okay_ , she guessed.

Austin just shook his head at her, there was an expression on his face she had never seen before. "Are you smiling?" Ally asked, her own smile breaking through her face.

Austin turned away from her, his nose buried deep in his phone again. Ally just rolled her eyes, following the blond, the smile evident on her face.

And his.

* * *

"Where do you think we should go?" Austin asked her once they got back to the lobby. Ally's feet were already pretty sore, sadly. She needed to get in better shape.

"I dunno," Austin mumbled. Still, he had his eyes glued to the screen of his phone. He was texting someone pretty rapidly, the way his large fingers were moving.

Ally grumbled. "Can you get your head out of your goddamn phone for a second and just help me decide where we're gonna go for this cultural thing?"

Austin lifted his head and looked at the brochure she was holding up to his face. The blond snatched it out of her hand and began to look at the attractions written on the piece of paper. He bit his lip before handing the brochure back to her.

"Contemporary Art Gallery," Austin said. He went back to texting on his phone. Ally was growing annoyed by his disinterest in their topic.

"Alright, I'll call a cab. We're splitting money for the ride by the way," Ally huffed. Austin just shrugged, turning away from her. Ally just rolled her eyes.

And to think, she thought he was starting to get better.

The cab pulled up to the curb at three thirty. Ally just hoped they would go to the art gallery thing and finish it fast so she could write her thousand word essay, go on her date with Elliot, have him fall madly in love with her, get married, have three children...

Ally stared out the window of the cab. The sunny skies from that morning had turned gloomy. Ally wondered if it was going to rain. She voiced her thoughts out loud. "Do you think it's going to rain?"

Austin didn't reply.

Ally furrowed her eyebrows and turned around. He was staring out the other window, his fingers tapping on his chin. He was in deep thought. Ally decided not to bother him. It was the first time today she had seen him off his phone other than to take a photo with The Drop.

The cab ride was silent. Not in an awkward way, which was good. It was silent where you got to reflect on your thoughts and think about the future and about what you're going to have for dinner later that night.

Ally smiled at that thought. She was having dinner with Elliot later that night. It was going to be magical. He actually asked her out _and_ he didn't think she was some crazy, weirdo, know-it-all who knows Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_ backwards and forwards.

They made it to the art gallery at four. That left two hours to explore and learn something new.

Ally looked at Austin once they were inside the building. "Whatcha wanna do first?"

Austin's face still held that pensive look. His eyebrows were furrowed, his face troubled. Ally wondered what was going on inside that head of his. It didn't look like he was going to answer her either. Ally sighed, just walking towards the first thing she saw, a drawing of some giraffes by a local Korean artist.

It was fascinating.

And giraffes reminded Ally of her dad.

There was an entire exhibit on the drawings of the Korean artist. It was truly amazing to see the wonders of art through other people's eyes and onto the canvas in front of them.

"Woah, are those dinosaurs?" Austin came up from behind her and looked at the picture of shadows of what looked to be dinosaurs eating grass. Ally rolled her eyes, of course he'd be interested in the picture of _dinosaurs_.

"Yes, Austin those are dinosaurs," she walked behind him, looking over his shoulder at the incredible picture of shadows that somehow resemble dinosaurs.

"It's really cool how they did the shading here, you see that? The tail of the reptile is jagged and it still looks like an actual shadow." Ally blinked. He seems _fascinated_ by the picture.

Ally nodded. "Oh yeah, and how there's smaller dinosaurs and the jagged edges are still pretty prominent."

Austin laughed, walking away from her into another exhibit. Ally scrambled after him, still looking at the amazing artwork on the walls of the current exhibit. They found themselves in a little section of the museum with windows. They had to go outside for this exhibit, which Ally didn't really mind. The gallery was called _A lamp made by the artist for his wife_.

There were literally eight lamps made from everyday household objects. There was one with feathers sticking out, one made from stacking tape rolls on each other with the light on top.

Abstract art was really amazing.

Ally could already imagine how her essay was going to sound. A thousand words might not even be enough to fit what she had in mind. She was going to write about that giraffe picture she saw. And these lamps. And how the Contemporary Art Gallery was just basically where a bunch of local artist could display their works of art for everyone to see and admire.

"Ally," Austin called her. She looked around, disoriented for a bit before she spotted him by the exit of the museum. "I'm bored, can we go now?"

"We've been here for twenty minutes, Austin," Ally huffed. He shook his head, his snapback falling out of place on his head. Austin took if off his head and ran a hand through his hair. There was a moment of indecisiveness on his face before he chucked the snapback at Ally.

She nearly dropped it.

"Mind putting that in your purse? My head kinda hurts," he mumbled, rubbing his temples with his hands. He turned away. Ally looked at the snapback thinking about everything wrong with it. There could be lice, there could be his _hair_ , there could be dandruff. Ally made a face but put his hat in her purse anyway.

"Hey, how about we go to a record store? There's one literally right down the street from here," Austin said. He was ruffling his hair with his hands. Ally wrinkled her nose.

"The one with the golden record as its logo?"

Austin smiled. She decided smiles look good on him. "Looks like you pay attention to things other than your books, know-it-all."

"But, we haven't even been in the museum for more than an hour," Ally said. Austin rolled his eyes at her. "And don't you have a headache?"

"The right kind of music can cure a headache," Austin said, and then he shut his mouth quickly. Ally studied his lips. It looked like he was about to say something else after that sentence, but cut it off short. It ended kind of awkwardly.

Austin stared at her, his eyes widening. Ally looked away. He caught her staring.

The blond shook his head suddenly. "Come on. If I see one more lamp made of toothpicks I'm going to cry."

Ally placed a skeptical look on her face. "You cry?"

Austin glared at her.

They walked out of the museum and down the street. The shop looked fancy on the outside, but was vintage on the inside. The interior smelled exactly how she thought a record store would smell like, new CDs and shiny vinyls.

Ally checked her phone for the time. 4:20pm. They still had a lot of time to do stuff, maybe check out some records. After all, she had enough ideas to write her essay already.

She was already planning about how it was going to sound. Sentences formed in her brain, vocabulary words placed in, sentence structure...

Ally was just about to put her phone away when she felt it vibrate in her hand. There was a new message from Dan.

 _thinking of u_

Ally blushed a little. There was someone thinking about her even though they don't even personally know her. Ally didn't know how to reply so she just slipped the phone back into her purse.

"Who was that?" Austin asked. Ally blinked. She had looked at her phone for a second, how could he possible know it was a text?

Ally side-glanced at Austin. He kept running a hand through his hair, tugging on it at times. Ally shook her head.

"Dan."

"What'd he say?" Austin asked. They just were walking around the small aisles with shelves full of old records. Ally took her phone out and shoved it in his face. Austin popped his gum, smirking at her. She didn't even know he was _chewing_ gum.

"Ah." Austin typed something into her phone before showing her.

 _i'm too busy to be thinking of you  
but nice try ;)_

"Play hard-to-get, it drives guys crazy," Austin said without looking at her. He handed her back her phone. His fingers brushed hers.

They were so cold.

Ally put her phone back in her purse before looking at some Beatles records on the shelf. The Beatles were her favourite, next to Queen and Nirvana.

"Imagine by John Lennon," Austin mumbled, pulling the vinyl out of the shelf. Ally stared at him as he inspected the disk. "How do you feel about his solo song?"

Ally was stunned for a second. "I-I think it's great, yeah." Ally was surprised Austin listened to that kind of music. She thought he was more of a Green Day and Three Days Grace kind of guy. Maybe transitions into Panic! At the Disco and My Chemical Romance, later.

Ally walked to the next aisle, leaving Austin behind. She pulled out a record of David Bowie's best songs. Ally saw her own reflection in the shiny cover. She looked at the list of songs on the back.

"Heroes?" Austin called from the other side.

"Best song to ever exist," Ally called back. Ally laughed out loud. She actually had something in common with Austin. Their music taste was so similar.

Austin suddenly appeared at her side with a bunch of records in his hands. "Let's listen to a few!" He pulled her into the booth where you could play music and put in the first disc in his hand. Nirvana.

Ally sighed as the gentle noises of the first few notes of _Smells Like Teen Spirit_ began to play. Classic.

Austin laughed at her. "Sing."

Ally snapped out of her daze. "What?"

Austin took her hand suddenly and spun her around. He dipped her close to the ground before bringing her back up. His blond hair had fallen into his brown eyes. Ally squealed in surprise. "Sing," he laughed, spinning her around again. Ally laughed along with him until she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

"What's that?" She asked. Austin had stopped spinning her and had his hands on her waist, holding her upright. She oddly wasn't disgusted by him. She wondered if he even knew his hands were on her waist.

There was a little cut-out in the wall of the shop. Beyond that was a stage were a garage band was banging on some drums and strumming on some electric guitars and screeching into the microphone. There were other people sitting around a dance floor where a few couples were dancing and spinning around.

Vancouver sure was something.

"C'mon." Austin grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the little secret club at the back of the store. Ally followed him, excited herself for what she was going to see.

This was cultural, alright.

The band on stage was singing something Ally recognized immediately. It was a song from Dexy's Midnight Runners. The song was upbeat and fun and happy. _Come On Eileen._

"Let's dance," Austin said. He grabbed her hand again, pulling her out of her little daze. Ally took in the song as Austin dragged her to the dance floor. He did a little jig before pulling her towards him. She laughed as she hit his chest and they spun around, holding their hands between them.

 _Looks like his headache's gone._

He kept pulling her in and out of the space where their hands resided, spinning around. "You know this song?"

"Who doesn't?" Ally laughed. Austin suddenly pulled her in close and dipped her again, his hair falling onto her cheek and tickled her neck. Ally laughed again. _This is fun_ , she wanted to say.

Austin pulled her up again and twirled her around. He grabbed her hand and went behind her, standing there and swaying for a moment before returning to spinning her around and finally pulling her close to his chest.

Ally sighed, breathing in the smell of his shirt. He smelled like Miami and laundry detergent and maple gum.

"I like this song," he mumbled, pulling their arms together again and twirling her once, twice.

"Me too," Ally laughed. Suddenly, Austin pulled her right back into his chest, knocking the wind out of her lungs. He eliminated all the space between them; his hand tight around her waist, the other holding her other hand out to the side. Her head was nearly touching his shoulder.

Austin was quiet for a second. "This should be our song."

Ally couldn't help but laugh. "Come On Eileen?"

"Yeah!" Austin chuckled. The rumble in his chest made her entire body vibrate. Her cheek was dangerously close to resting on his chest; she was fighting hard to keep her head away.

Suddenly, Austin leaned his head down, close to her face. Ally blinked in surprise but watched as his eye flicker from her eyes to her lips, the smirk on his mouth disappearing. For a second, there was a glimmer in his eye and Ally suddenly felt too tired to keep her own eyelids open...

"You think we should get a record of this song?" Austin asked, suddenly. Ally's eyelids flew open. She almost fell out of his tight but loose grasp. Ally blinked, then nodded her head.

Austin spun her around once, then twice, then thrice. It was so sudden she felt the bacon and eggs come right back up again. Ally stopped spinning once she hit a chair and almost knocked it over. Ally sat down, letting the spinning world rest in her vision before standing up.

"Yeah," Ally said, her head still spinning. Austin was walking away from her, his nose in his phone again, the first time since they got to the record store. Ally got up, the world tipping to the right.

"Hey! Wait up, Austin!" Ally scrambled after him, her world stabilizing itself. She shook her head. Austin turned back to her, the record in his hand. The glimmer in his eye was now gone and replaced by something Ally couldn't detect. She could still smell the Miami breeze and soft detergent in her nose.

Austin paid for the record and handed it to her. Ally frowned. "Don't you want to keep it."

The blond had his hands in his pocket. Something in his mood had changed. He looked gloomy, almost, angry. The pensive mood returned from earlier."No." He kicked a pebble once they were outside of the store. Austin checked his phone once more. Ally thought of something to say.

"I didn't know you could dance," she blurted out. He looked like the kind of guy to sit out during school dance or play basketball outside while they were happening. Austin turned to look at her. They were at a crosswalk.

His expression was unreadable, unlike the rest of the day where he was an open book and she could just make out if he was thinking or confused or whatnot. His eyes were dark. They almost looked black in the gloomy light of the outside world.

"There's a lot you don't know about me."

* * *

 **:)**

 **Hehehehhee. Oops. Okay okay okay. The stuff in between made up for the shortness, right? Hahahaha. Letsnottalkabouttheendingbecausethatallappliestothegeneralplotlineandwhatnotsohahahaha.**

 **Also, to address the reviewer who asked if this was going to be an Auslly story: a) Read my other stories to see how those turned out. b) It's going to be a long ride, my friend. c) It would ruin the whole effect if I told you, wouldn't it?**

 **Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Please please please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

 _ **baby**_


	5. v

**Hahahahaaaa**

 **I survived exams, hallelujah. But now we're all thrown into this war known as KCA voting. So. Yeep. This is wonderful. Hope you all haven't been killed yet. That would be sad. :(**

 **Special shout out to Egg Em and My oreo cookie Solange for always making me want to update.**

 **Just a note, this chapter is a continuation of the chapter before, kind of. It's still the same day as last chapter, is all I mean. Well, up until the page break. If I confused you just never read another A/N ever again.**

 **I don't own anything. Enjoy! (I typed enjouu.)**

* * *

Ally brushed out her hair. She had straightened it earlier and was now getting all the tangles out. She was getting ready for her date with Elliot.

Ah, Elliot.

Ally sighed dreamily as she thought about how the night would go. Elliot said he'd pick her up right from her suite at seven. It was six thirty now. He was going to be here in half an hour, and she didn't know what to wear yet.

Ally sashayed from the bathroom to the central party of her suite, dancing as if she were Cinderella. Only, she couldn't dance. And she wasn't Cinderella.

Ally had only brought two dresses on this trip. A teal skater dress for formal outings and whatnot. And a grayish-black dress that broke out into a fringe skirt near the bottom. It was for another formal event, obviously.

Ally put on her teal skater dress that ran down to just above her knee. Ally matched her eye shadow colour to the shade of her dress. Ally fixed up her makeup, trying to go for something different but at the same time screams _Ally_.

The brunette picked out a jean jacket to match her teal-blue dress. It was bleached, so it was a light shade of blue. It was going to match her light blue flats that she had brought just to match with the jacket. Ally sighed happily. Everything was falling into place nicely.

Ally's phone rang just then. She picked it up and answered without checking who was calling. She twirled a piece of hair in her hand. "Hello?"

"Ally!" Trish's voice came over the line. Ally smiled as she twirled in front of her mirror.

Only twirling reminded her of earlier when Austin had twirled her around and almost made her throw up.

"Oh my gosh, Trish! I'm so excited!"

"You're so excited? I'm so excited! My best friend is finally growing up!" Trish hollered at her. Ally laughed out loud and down the line, covering her mouth with her hand. When she laughed too hard it came out like snorts.

"Give me all the details, Ally! I wanna know everything!" Trish laughed. "Don't leave anything out, especially if the two of you do the—"

"Trish!" Ally shouted, cutting off her best friend who was literally only five suites down the hall. "You're only ten seconds of running away from me. Don't make me go over there and make you sorry."

"Wow, calm down, Ally. Save that for Elliot." Ally could imagine Trish winking at her.

"Yeah, yeah. I gotta go."

"Go get 'em, tiger!"

"Bye, Trish." Ally couldn't help but laugh at her best friend. She loved Trish, she really did.

Ally checked her reflection in the mirror again. Ally had to admit, she looked good for once. The dress was fitted just right, her makeup was the best she had ever seen herself do it, the jean jacket and the shoes matched. Everything seemed to be going as how she imaged it.

Next step, their wedding.

Ally put her shoes on just as she heard a knock on the door. She flung it open without any second thoughts.

Elliot.

"Hi," Elliot said. He wore a red polo shirt and some casual jeans. He had on some red Supras to match his outfit. Ally frowned. She thought he'd be a little... fancier. She mentally shrugged.

Save fancy for the wedding.

"Hi," Ally said. She clutched her purse with one hand, the strap going over her shoulder. Thank god it was brown. A brown bag went with everything she had brought to Vancouver.

"Ready to go?" Elliot asked. He held out his arm for her. Ally giggled a little, looping her arm through his. It was muscular and hard against her own arm. Ally liked that.

Ally was glad she was wearing flats. She wasn't sure how long she could handle being in heels before her feet got sore and turned an angry red.

Elliot led her down the elevator and to the front of the hotel where a blue car was parked. Of course Elliot had his own car, he was a resident here. It was pretty impressive.

Elliot ran towards his car, opening the door and bowing his head, gesturing with his hand for her to go inside. "M'lady."

Ally giggled again. "Why, thank you."

Elliot got into the driver's side and started his car. He backed out of the loading zone and off they went. They didn't say anything. Ally tried to wrack her brain for some good things to say, but couldn't come up with anything.

Ally took a whiff of his car. It smelled like cedar and the outdoors. She imagined him going camping with his family and coming back smelling like the outdoors and the mountains and forest.

Elliot was subconsciously staring her way. When she turned towards him just slightly, his head snapped back towards the road.

Ally wanted to check her phone, just to get out of the awkward situation. She wasn't sure if Elliot was glancing out the window on her side, or if he was glancing at _her_. She decided to check her phone, turning on the screen, just to look at the time.

Maybe a few texts. She had gotten a bunch throughout the day that she hadn't answered because she was just lazy.

The first was from Trish.

 _remember to use protection  
love u_

Ally texted her back.

 _it's only a first date, mom_

She glanced at another message she had gotten. It was from Dan.

 _i miss you  
can we meet up soon?_

"Do you remember camp?" Elliot asked suddenly. Ally shut her phone off and stuffed it in her purse. Did he see that?

"Huh?" Ally asked, having a hard time closing her purse. She glanced at the problem; Austin's blue snapback. She mentally grumbled and stuffed her phone in her purse and quickly zipped it up.

"Camp Craftamonga?" Elliot asked again. His tone was patient.

"Oh yeah!" Ally laughed, trying to play off her little moment of confusion off. "You said my baskets were—"

"—Unbelievable!" Elliot finished for her. Ally laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. She usually wasn't this _dainty_ but somehow Elliot made her want to be a princess and wear fancy clothes.

And she fucking hated the word _dainty_.

"And remember how we tie-dyed those pillow cases? Mine came out great by the way. You still owe me five bucks!" Ally said.

Elliot laughed. "Hey, this meal is probably going to cost more than five dollars. I say we're even."

"Fair enough."

Elliot smiled, the street lights illuminating his face. Ally mentally sighed. Obviously fate had brought them together again. There was no explanation for this. Ally breathed in deeply; contently.

Elliot was glancing back her way, but this time to check if there was a spot to park. He was turning into the curb of some seafood restaurant. He parked and rushed over to the door on her side. He flung it open and ushered her out.

"Thank you," Ally giggled. Elliot let Ally loop her arm through his again as they walked into the seafood restaurant.

The first thing Ally noticed was how it was bustling with customers. The waiters and waitresses were all rushing around, delivering food and getting orders in. The interior was red and gold, the table cloths and chairs were white. There was a long line of people waiting for tables right when they stepped into the store. Ally blinked. She and Elliot were going to have to wait.

Elliot seemed to sense her worries. "Don't worry. I called ahead and reserved us a table."

Ally was impressed. He even made reservations for their date.

Ally was mentally listing people who she was going to invite to the wedding. Trish, her dad, her two grandmas, aunt—

"Table for two. I made reservations... yesterday?" Elliot recalled. The person at the front desk looked at a book filled with a bunch of names and dates. The woman had a pair of thick, circular glasses on her face without frames. Her shiny black hair was done into a bun.

The woman nodded. "Ah, yes. This way, please." The woman beckoned Ally and Elliot over to a table nearly opposite from the entrance from the restaurant. They got seated and were served some steaming hot tea in ceramic mugs that matched their other plates and bowls.

Elliot handed her a menu. Ally looked carefully over what she wanted to eat. Some seafood salad? Shrimp wonton soup? Seafood chowder? Everything looked absolutely great and she wanted to eat it all.

That wasn't going to be a great first date memory.

"I'll have some shrimp pasta," Elliot was telling the waitress. "And Ally over there will have..." Elliot raised an eyebrow to prompt her for her order.

"I'll have the..." Ally bit her lip. She was so indecisive. "I'll have the lobster chowder, please." She smiled at the patient waitress. The woman jotted down their order and scurried away.

"So, how are you liking the cuisine here in Vancouver?" Elliot asked. Ally thought about it for a second.

"The debate team went on an outing earlier this week to another restaurant. It was pretty good. One of my teammates even took all the leftovers to-go." Ally watched as Elliot smiled at her. It was so easy to talk to him. Why was she so scared those few years of high school?

"Haha, that's funny!" Elliot laughed. Ally gave him a cheeky grin. "Okay, but you have to try some gelato from this store near downtown. It's the best one here and I swear it'll be the best you've ever had."

"I've never tried gelato," Ally said, frowning. "I mean, it's just ice cream, right?"

"Just ice cream?" Elliot exclaimed, clearly shocked. "Gelato is not _just ice cream_! It's better than ice cream. A lot better. That's why it's more expensive."

"But it's the same kind of thing, right? Frozen yogurt?"

"Frozen yogurt is a _whole_ 'nother topic, Ally," Elliot said.

Just then, the waitress returned with their food. Elliot dove right into his plate of spaghetti. Ally got the soup spoon and began to blow on her hot chowder. She licked her lips in anticipation, her mouth watered. Yum.

Ally glanced at Elliot, eating with his mouth closed and not making disgusting slurping noises as she recalled hearing coming from a certain blond's mouth. He was eating quietly and almost cutely, in a way. She didn't want to come on as creepy, though.

Man, if he could hear her thoughts.

Elliot looked up at her just as she was about to look away. Ally smiled shyly at him. He had some sauce on the corner of his mouth.

"You got a little something..." She pointed to the corner of her own mouth. Elliot ended up wiping his entire mouth but missing the spot. Ally wondered if it was on purpose. "No, over—" She leaned over the table and pointed at his mouth.

However, Elliot caught her hand and held it there as he wiped his mouth. He kissed her hand gently and let go. Ally felt butterflies in her stomach, heat rising to her face.

Elliot was definitely fathering her children.

They finished the rest of their meal through light bantering. Elliot paid for their meals and even got her some fortune cookies.

Elliot cracked his open first. "All the effort you are making will not pay off." Elliot frowned, scratching his head. Ally furrowed her eyebrows. That sounded like a sucky-ass fortune. "Darn! This must mean fixing my bicycle isn't going to pay off," Elliot stuck his tongue out. Ally laughed.

"How'd you break your bike in the first place?"

"I use it every day. Well, used to." Ally nodded appreciatively. Elliot cares for the environment. They were meant to be.

Ally cracked open her fortune cookie. "First they ignore you, then they attack you, then you win." She licked her lips.

"That sounds sketchy but at the same time pretty good," Elliot said. Ally nodded her head, still wondering how that was going to turn out.

As they left the seafood restaurant and Elliot turned the radio on to a channel full of songs she had never heard of before, the brunette though about it. First Elliot ignores her, then he takes her out on a date, then she wins.

Right. It all falls into place.

Elliot walked her back up to her suite, letting her hold onto his arm the entire time. Ally smiled as they reached her suite just before curfew.

"I had a great time," Ally said. She's done this all before. Say those corny lines after the date is done, act all cute and lovely in the dim lights up until the point where the guy kisses you goodnight.

"Me too," Elliot said. He looked down the hall towards the right, then back towards the left near the elevator. "Hey, you want to meet up again? Maybe sometime next week?" He thought about it then said, " Wednesday?"

Ally nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Sounds great!"

"I'd hang out sooner, but, I got my debates to look after." Elliot laughed. "We're still on different teams now, ya hear?"

"Of course!" Ally tried to look offended. Elliot laughed and just gave her a quick hug before walking away.

"See you then!"

"See you."

Okay, maybe she didn't get the kiss she wanted, but at least he wanted to meet up again. That meant the first date went well, right?

Ally flung open her suite door and raised her arms in the air. "I have arrived home."

All her furniture stared at her.

Ally shut the front door, a smile on her face. She squealed, hopping onto her bed and screaming into her pillow. She was oh, so happy!

Ally put on her pajamas and texted Trish immediately.

 _the date was so good omg im mentally crying right now and legit screaming_

Ally shut her phone off, to anxious to wait for Trish's reply. Ally sighed, flopping down onto her bed, smiling like an idiot. Nothing in the world could wipe the smile off her face right now.

Ally shut the lights off just as Ms. Krum knocked on the door of her suite. "Here," Ally called. She heard the retreating footsteps of her supervisor.

Sighing contently, she flopped down onto her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. Ally smiled, squealing as she shut her eyes.

Why couldn't it be Wednesday already?

* * *

"Aw, shoot!"

Ally dropped her cue cards all over the floor. It had been the second time that morning that she had accidentally dropped her notes all over the floor.

She had put her glasses on because she wanted to feel extra smart, and because she was having trouble focusing on her notes. It didn't happen often, but when it did, Ally put on her glasses to help the words stop swimming.

Ally grumbled, leaning over the side of the bed to pick up her notes. She didn't want to move, but she really did need to study.

Her last and final debate was coming up. It was the one where they gave her a random topic and only a few minutes to prepare what she had to say. Ally had looked over every single topic available and appropriate to give to high school students and studied all her debate notes carefully.

Still, she was paranoid she was going to forget something.

Especially now that she had a dazzling face of blue eyes and brown hair etched in the back of her mind.

Goddamn it.

Ally groaned as she stretched over the side of her bed, keeping her legs tucked in the duvet. She grabbed one card, two, three. She was making extremely good progress until she found herself reaching too far out for a cue card.

Ally was stuck.

She sighed, trying to think of a way to get out of that position. She decided to give herself a lot of momentum so she could just regain her balance. Ally prepared to propel herself backwards.

Only it didn't work.

The ground just shifted beneath her and her butt just scooted further into the bed. That was enough motion to shift her off the side and edge of the bed. Ally flailed around a bit before she went tumbling down the side of the bed and landed on her cue cards. She groaned.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she called from the ground. She always left the door open during the early morning hours because housekeeping was around. Ally grumbled as she accidentally bent one of her cue cards.

"Hey, know-it-all!" A too jolly, too nicely dressed, too cheery Austin came bouncing into the room. He had a big grin on his face which flickered for a moment when he saw her on the ground with the covers nearly falling on top of her and her legs all mangled. "Woah."

"Yeah, I know I'm on the ground," she mumbled. Ally righted herself, squishing some cue cards in the process. She picked up the rest of her cards and got back under the covers of her bed.

"No, I mean your glasses. Ha, nerd alert!" Austin slapped his knee. He seemed a little odd. A little too _happy_.

 _What are you on?_

The first thing she noticed was his hair. His floppy gold bangs were pushed back from his forehead, standing sharply off to the side. He wore a white dress shirt that he had rolled all the way to his elbows, and a dark gray tie. He had nice black dress pants on matched with shiny dark dress shoes.

Damn, he looked like he was ready to tango.

"Say what you want but it helps me focus," she mumbled. Ally pulled the covers up to her lap and began to go over her notes again. Austin was playing with his hands. She spotted the web of veins running up and down his arms.

"I actually stopped by to ask if you wanted to go to a party," he said. Ally turned to look at him wide-eyed.

"Is that why you're all dressed up?" Ally asked. Austin was scratching the back of his neck, still messing around with his hands. They were so big.

"Yeah. And since you're my buddy, I was wondering if you wanted to—"

Ally let out a groan, burying her face into the covers. "Oh my god, I am never going to another party with you for as long as I live." She recalled what happened the last time she woke up from that party on Monday. All disoriented and in pain. "I even lost my favourite bo—"

"Hey, whatcha doing?" Austin asked suddenly, walking over to her bed. He stood beside it as she showed him her study notes. She was actually pretty proud of them; they were so neat and easy to read.

"For debate."

"You study for debate?" Austin asked. He took a few of her remaining notes on top of the duvet in her lap. He looked at them for a moment, going through each of them.

"Yeah, my next one is the random topic one. I gotta be prepared," Ally said. She was anxious, looking at him going through her notes. She was scared he was going to do something to them.

Austin looked at her notes for another second. "You need help studying?"

"What?" Ally spluttered.

"Do you, uh— need help? With studying?"

Ally was laughing. "Y-you? Help me? _Study?_ " She was laughing so hard, nearly doubling over and falling off the edge of her bed again. Austin shifted off near the foot of her bed to avoid being ploughed over.

"Yeah, I mean I could help you memorize some of these... words." Austin was staring at the card in his hand. Ally laughed even harder.

"Funny," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. She was at the edge of her bed again. "Well, hope you enjoy the party, thanks for stopping by, don't get too drunk and don't drink and drive."

Austin blinked. "No really, I can help you... i-if you want."

Ally fell off the bed.

" _Oomph_." Ally's cheek was squished against the floor of the suite, the covers falling on top of her again. She quickly threw the covers off and stood up, scratching her head. Her hair was in an even messier bun now than before.

"Whadda ya say?" Austin asked. He was shuffling her cue cards now.

Ally got back into bed. "Um, yeah. I guess I could use some help. I just need some help with my rebuttals and stuff."

"Great!" In one quick motion, Austin took off his shoes and dove right into her bed. Ally squeaked as his weight hit the bed. She tipped over to one side as Austin bounced twice.

Ally wrinkled her nose as she smelled his familiar maple gum. "Why are you always chewing _maple gum_?" Honestly, this guy was chewing _maple syrup flavoured gum_.

"Pancakes are my favourite food," he said, still looking at the scattered notes. "And what goes on pancakes?"

"Maple syrup..." Ally said, putting the pieces together. She remembered that first day how he ate an entire stack of pancakes in the amount of time it took for her to eat toast.

They were silent for a bit before Austin pulled a card out of his shuffle. "Homework should be banned."

"Negative," Ally replied. "Homework shouldn't be banned because it's a system of determining whether a student understands what is being taught."

"But what if they don't understand what is being taught _and therefore_ they can't do the homework?" Austin stated his rebuttal. Ally thought about that for a second.

"That's not a reason for it to be banned. If the student doesn't understand then they should go to the teacher. This way the teacher will know if their teaching methods are too hard, or if someone doesn't understand at all."

Austin sighed, laying down. His head was just by where her crossed legs were under the covers. "What about school though? Shouldn't work in school be enough to determine a student's creditability towards a subject?"

"Homework is just extra to help them understand _even more_ of the topic."

"But it's just a waste of time? What about in the event of extracurricular? When would you have time for those? An hour of physical activity every day? Spending quality time with family?"

"That's why people should be more organized and plan ahead of time what they are going to do for the rest of the day."

Austin huffed. "You got me there."

Ally grinned. Austin, surprisingly, had some good rebuttals to what she had to say. She was nearly impressed.

 _Nearly._

Ally furrowed her eyebrows at him as he went shuffling through the rest of the cards. "Do you have a debate coming up?"

Austin stopped shuffling. "Um, no."

"Why not? You're pretty good. And you're in debate, for god's sake."

Austin laughed, but the sound was humourless. "I'm not good at debate. I'm here for the same reason most of the people are; extra credit."

Ally didn't say anymore. Austin continued to shuffle, looking up at the ceiling while he did it. He kept shifting the blanket under his weight. It was wrinkling his shirt and messing up his hair.

Austin suddenly sat up and swung his arms out in front of him. He took his tie off in one quick motion and flung it to the nearby chair in the corner of the room. "All people should be vegetarians," he said, lying back down. Ally froze as it happened.

His head was in her lap.

She wondered if he noticed or not. He was still shifting a little, but he eventually settled down. Ally didn't know what to do. Should she shove his head out of her lap? Ew, what if he had lice? But that was mean. Should she just leave it there? It wasn't like he was doing any harm to her. And besides, he finally seemed comfortable.

"Ally?"

"Yeah?" She squeaked out too fast and too high-pitched. Austin repeated the topic.

"Oh. All people shouldn't be vegetarian," she muttered. She was still staring at his head. He had really nice facial features, she decided. His nose was high, and so were his cheek bones. His jaw was probably sharper than his hair.

"Wow," Austin said. "I thought you'd say they _should_ be vegetarians. You came off to me as a 'Save the Environment!' kind of girl."

"Well, what if you liked meat? And it's too late to change everyone into vegetarians. People have been eating meat since before the dinosaurs."

Austin didn't reply but he hummed. Ally saw him shuffle the cards again.

Just then her phone buzzed, indicating an incoming text message. Ally reached over to her bedside table to grab her phone and check the message. It was from Elliot.

 _guess that fortune was wrong  
i fixed my bike!_

There was a photo of him standing with a thumbs up sign by a green mountain bike. Ally stifled a laugh as she texted him back.

 _wonderful_

Austin was playing with the top few buttons on his shirt as he had already picked out the next topic. Ally set her phone back on the table and returned her hands to her notes.

Except she accidentally touched his head, her fingers accidentally running through his hair.

 _Aw, shit._

"Ah, that feels nice," Austin mumbled quietly, the noise coming from the back of his throat like a deep rumble. Ally didn't know what to do.

Thankfully, her phone buzzed again and she grabbed it faster than anything she had ever done in her life. However, the movement jolted Austin right off her lap and she accidentally kicked him in the temple in the process. At least her legs were still under the duvet so she could act like she didn't know.

"Ow," Austin said, sitting up and rubbing the side of his head.

 _maybe we can go riding on our next date  
i have another bike that my sister doesn't use anymore and i guess she wouldn't mind that you're using it_

Ally smiled while reading the text.

 _yeah! i'd love that!_

 _alright! i'll text you back once i get your bike fixed too_

He called it _her_ bike. Ally smiled happily as she shut her phone off and put it back on her table.

"Hey, Ally," Austin said. She turned her attention to him. His hair was dishevelled, his shirt's top two buttons were undone and dress pants were wrinkled. He was staring at her.

"Yeah?"

"Are you ticklish?"

 _What kind of debate topic is that?_ "Um, very, actuall—" Before she could even finish answering his question, Austin's hands had found her sides and were tickling the shit out of her.

Ally laughed. Really hard. She was extremely ticklish. Everywhere. It was a curse, put on her because she couldn't defend herself from tickles.

"S-s-stop-stop! Stop it, Austin!" She shrieked. He laughed with her as Ally struggled to free herself from his grasp. She was wheezing because she was so out of shape, and because she was so goddamn _ticklish_.

"Damn, you're so tiny," she heard him mutter under his breath as she struggled to free herself again.

"Aus-Austin, stop! I'm not afraid to-to kick you again!" She got out before she managed to roll away from him. Ally breathed in deeply, in and out, in and out. She pulled the covers up towards herself. They were on opposite ends of the bed now. Everything had fallen onto the floor in a messy, scattered pile.

Ally watched as Austin gave her a smirk. _Oh no, he's not going to win that easily_. Ally looked at the scattered piles of notes around them as a distraction before she pounced on him from the other side of the bed.

She began to tickle him.

"Oh, fuck," she heard him breath as her hands went directly to his sides. She tickled his sides, then his stomach. She'd have to admit, his stomach was _hard_ under her hands.

Austin was struggling to roll away from her. Sadly, since he had more weight on him, it was easier for him. He snagged her along with him as he rolled away from her. Ally slipped, landing face first into his chest.

Ally was surprised that she didn't actually want to move her face away. She was actually enjoying hearing the slowly-steadying beat of his heart. If he asked, she would say she was too tired to move.

Which wasn't a lie either.

Ally felt something shift. Her hair. He was twirling a piece of her hair between his fingers. She looked up at him. It didn't look like he realized what he was doing.

Just then, her phone buzzed.

At this point, Ally decided that she had just lost a lot more of her _pride_ and just climbed up and over Austin's body and grabbed her phone from the nightstand.

Ally rolled off of him and looked at her message. It was from Elliot.

 _guess what?_

 _what?_

 _i fixed it_

There was a picture of Elliot beside a poorly drawn in blue mountain bike. It looked like a blue stick with two wheels attached to it.

 _haha, very funny_

"Who're you texting?" Austin asked. He was still laying down on her bed, but he had his own phone out.

"Elliot," Ally said without thinking about it. She realized Austin probably doesn't even know who Elliot is _and_ doesn't give a shit.

Austin looked up from his own phone. "Elli-who?"

"Elliot. You know? He was captain of the debate team last year even though he was only a junior? Moved away?" Ally informed him. Elliot had texted her back.

 _that was what i was going for_

"Oh, Ell-idiot," Austin said, his face changing. He sat up, crinkling some notes under him.

"Ell- _idiot_?" Ally asked, frowning. Austin had put his phone away and ran a hand through his hair. He looked like he just walked out of a hurricane. His clothes was all messed up, and so was his hair. He smelled like sweat and maple gum and...

 _Oh my god. What if someone saw him walking out of my room looking like that?_

"He's not what he seems, Ally." Austin said. He propelled himself off of her bed and was looking at the mirror of her vanity set.

"What do you mean, _he's not what he seems_?" Ally asked. "He's nice and sweet and funny." _Unlike you_ , she wanted to say. Ally watched as Austin took a few long strides to retrieve his tie that was on the chair in the corner of the room.

"How do you know? You've only been texting—"

"He took me on a date yesterday," Ally blurted out. Austin whipped around so fast it looked like his bangs had given him a whiplash.

Austin turned back to the mirror once she caught his eye. "He's a dick. He can't seriously be your type, can he?"

"How is he a dick?" Ally sighed exasperatedly. She was still watching him fix himself up. His expert hands worked with his tie in a masterly manner. Ally looked away.

"You just... don't know what you're getting yourself into," Austin said. Ally grumbled out loud.

"Tell me why he's so bad," Ally asked. She was getting angry now.

"He's not what he seems, Ally. You're going to be disappointed in him," Austin said. His voice was eerily calm. A little mysterious too.

"I think you're just jealous that the know-it-all got a date before you on this trip," Ally said, smirking a little.

Austin laughed but it was humourless. Something in his expression had changed again. "Oh, so that's what you think this is about. Elliot's an asshole. Trust me."

" _Trust you_? Trust you?" Ally exclaimed. "You were the one who said going to a party would be fun. You were the one who said the Contemporary Art Gallery would be cool only to ditch it for a record store. You were the one who asked if I needed help and then suddenly gets mad at me because I'm texting someone who might actually like me?"

"Ally! I'm trying to warn you. Elliot's no good. He's... not what you think he is. He's going to let you down, and when he does, I'm going to be here to tell you I said so," Austin sighed. He looked angry. He was angry _at her_.

"No, you're not!" Ally exploded. "You're not because it's not going to happen! Elliot is a good guy! He's nice and funny and sweet and he holds the door for me like a gentleman unlike you," Ally said, so done with his stupidity by now.

"Unlike me," Austin laughed, his eyes going dark. He looked away from her. "Unlike me... Well you know what? Keep texting Elliot! Keep liking his precious _ass_. I don't care. All I know is that you're going to be disappointed and let down." With that, put his shoes back on and exited her suite, slamming the door so hard behind him that her hairbrush fell off the vanity set.

Ally grumbled, burying her face into her duvet and letting out an animalistic scream. She was so done with him. He was such a jerk, telling her Elliot was a bad guy.

Ally gasped. Her covers smelled like Austin. She jolted upwards and pushed her covers off her bed, feeling angry. Who was he to tell her Elliot was a jerk? Did he even know what he was talking about?

Ally sighed, picking up her scattered notes on the floor. It was the third time that morning that she had to pick up her notes off the floor.

* * *

 **Hooohohohohohohoo shit.**

 **That chapter literally went from 0 to 100 then back to 0 real fast. But I kinda like this chapter. It's pretty lit. And there's a lot of _clues_ in this chapter about what's going on. Because honestly I had no idea what was going on when I edited this either until I looked at my notes. So hAHAHAHA.**

 **Anyyyyway. Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review and tell me what you think.**

 _ **her type?**_


	6. vi

**:)**

 **First off, sorry. This is the shortest chapter I've written for this story. Ever. There probably isn't one shorter than this so, whoopie. Second, I saw _Pride and Prejudice_ in live theatre yesterday. It was so cool. I've never read the book before; just chose it randomly for this fanfic. So it was kind of ironic how I got to go with my English class to see it live in theatre.**

 **I don't own anything. Enjoooooooooy!**

* * *

Thank god there were no outings on weekends.

Ally hummed as she curled her hair, glancing at the progress in the bathroom mirror. She and Trish finally had time for a girls day out. She was so excited, they were going to go shopping, and eat out and talk and just enjoy each other's company as best friends in general.

Oh yeah.

Ally pursed her lips, trying out a whistle. Nope, still couldn't whistle. And that was why she was humming instead of whistling.

Ally was glad there were no outings on weekends. It gave everyone a chance to relax and do their own thing for a while. Especially since Ms. Krum took everyone to go see a movie at the theatre yesterday.

Ally shuddered. She did not want to experience _that_ again.

Long story short, everyone either had to use the bathroom every five seconds until it got to a point where people were sending _complaints_ towards Ms. Krum that the bathrooms smelled like shit. _And_ that the kids standing up were distracting them from watching the movie. The snack vendor even refused to sell the kids anymore drinks.

They nearly got kicked out of the theatre.

Ally hadn't seen Austin since Thursday. He wasn't at the outing nor was he at open-mic on Friday. She was actually glad that she hadn't seen him for two days. All he's done is proven once again that he couldn't be trusted.

Ally sighed, dropping the curling. She was done with her hair and her makeup. Ally she needed to do now was put on the outfit she laid out for herself; a cozy sweater, dark jeans and her favourite pair of furry boots.

She made a face in her vanity set mirror as she grabbed her phone and wallet and dropped it into her brown messenger bag. She swung the strap over her shoulder and exited her suite, hearing the _click_ indicating that the door was locked.

Ally hummed happily. She felt extremely free and healthy this morning. Ally skipped down the hall towards Trish's suite. It was literally only a few doors down from her own suite.

Ally knocked once, then twice. "Trish! You ready for our girls day?"

"Hang on!" Came a muffled reply from the other side of the door. Ally tapped her foot in anticipation.

The door flew open after about five seconds and a half. "Ready to go?" Trish asked. She looked wonderful, as always. All cheetah and stripes and sparkles and matching shoes.

Trish De la Rosa, everyone.

"Where to?" Ally asked. Trish apparently had looked up some amazing malls to go wander aimlessly for hours in last night. Ally was excited to see what Trish had chosen.

"This mall near the next neighbourhood kind of thing," Trish said. "It's a twenty minute drive. Thirty-five-ish bus?" Trish said, checking her phone. "We'll catch the next bus."

"Alright," Ally said. The two girls made their way down the hall and into the elevator. Trish pressed the button for the lobby. Ally was busy checking her own phone when her stomach growled.

She bit her lip. "You think we should get some breakfast before we go?"

Trish thought about it for a moment. "If it'll stop your stomach from sounding like a zombie-alien, sure."

The two best friends made their way into the hotel buffet. Some of the other debate teams staying at the same hotel were present as well. Ally grabbed a blueberry muffin and made herself a cup of coffee before she spotted Trish sitting at a table alone. Trish had gotten an egg and sausage breakfast sandwich and a bottle of water.

Ally placed her plate on the table and slide into the chair across from Trish. Trish had taken the liberty of _not_ reading a fashion catalogue but instead browse online for cheap but fashionable clothes.

Ally felt her phone vibrate in her purse. She quickly flipped the top of the messenger bag open and checked her phone, cleaning the screen slightly with her hand and blocking it from the early morning sun glare.

 _im at starbucks  
you want to meet up?_

Ally didn't know how to reply. He finally gave her a place where he was currently at. They didn't have to wait or make up a meet up time. She could actually go see Dan.

"You gonna finish that or did I make a mistake letting you grab a bite when all you wanna do is text?" Trish said impatiently, but with a teasing tone. Ally lowered her phone and looked at her muffin.

"Right."

Ally stuffed the muffin into her mouth, taking her time to chew but at the same time wanting to finish the entire thing quickly. Ally swallowed the last of her muffin and made a gesture towards Trish to get up. The two girls deposited their plates on the counter.

Once she was finished, Trish led the way to a nearby bus stop where a bus was just pulling up and letting people out. Trish and Ally both rushed over to the bus, getting a pass for their trip. Ally chose a seat next to the window. Trish ended up having to stand for an old lady to sit down.

The ride was long and pretty awkward, as the old lady sitting next to her almost fell asleep on her shoulder. Ally spent that time texting and reading _Moby Dick_ but gave up on reading halfway through. Reading on moving vehicles wasn't her thing.

She didn't know if it was motion sickness, or if she was just prone to reading on moving vehicles.

They made it to their stop and into the mall in forty minutes. Trish pulled her purse high over her shoulder. Ally shuddered against the wind as they walked into the mall. "I understand how wind chills work now," she muttered.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad," Trish said. She was sprouting a windbreaker over a cardigan _over_ another shirt. Ally frowned at her seasonably-warmer outfit than her own.

"I should have brought a jacket," she murmured to herself, making a mental note to bring a jacket next time she went out.

The mall was bustling with people. The first stores Ally spotted were a frozen yogurt place with many, _many_ toppings to choose from; a cafe right across from that, and a bunch of shoe stores. Ally only had three seconds before Trish took off speed-walking towards the shoe stores.

"Wait up!" Ally hollered at Trish before she followed the short Latina into the shoe store.

There were a million pairs of shoes. It was like an entire warehouse of shoes but stuffed in a small little indoor mall store. All the boxes were stacked sky-high, nearly touching the roof of the shop. The sample shoes stood on stands with lights under them, to illuminate their appearance. The shoes all looked clean and shiny and polished. Trish already had two pairs in her hands and had tried on a pair already.

Ally took the time to go through her text messages. Dan had messaged her with another clue to his location.

 _im at the starbucks in the mall_

In the mall. Ally decided to text him back.

 _which mall?_

Dan gave her the name of the mall. It was where she and Trish were at that very moment. Ally suddenly had trouble breathing.

She recalled that night. Who was Dan? What did she say to him to get him to like her? Did he think drunk Ally was the same as sober Ally so he decided to text her up and see for himself? Why did she even give him her number? Did he have green eyes or blue eyes?

Was he even _hot_?

Ally bit her lip as she looked around. He didn't even know what Dan looked like. If she went to the Starbucks upstairs in the food court Dan would surely spot her out. But she wouldn't know who he was.

And what if he was drunk, too? Would he remember her as pretty? What if he saw her now and thought _damn, I made a mistake_? What if he thought he was texting another girl who gave him her number?

"Ally!" Trish called. She held a bag with a shoebox inside. She tapped her foot patiently outside of the store.

"Coming!" She got up from the bench she was sitting on and dashed outside, following Trish. Trish was smiling, looking at the bag in her hand. The two walked in comfortable silence for a bit. Ally slipped her phone back in her purse.

"So, describe to me in _detail_ the date with Elliot," Trish said suddenly. They were just wandering around the mall now. Ally grinned as Trish brought up the man of her dreams.

"Well. It was fun!" Ally started. "He took me to this seafood restaurant-"

"Was it fancy?" Trish interrupted. Ally nodded her head, grinning again.

"Extremely. The plates and cups and bowls were ceramic. The cutlery all matched and had the same design. There was a bouquet of flowers in the middle of the table with fancy script on the decor. They served us free tea and gave us free water. It was great. Oh, and their mascot was a golden _dragon_ , how cool is that?" Ally asked.

Trish nodded, impressed. "Good. Fancy first dates lead to comfortable messy seconds dates, if you know what I mean," Trish winked and nudged her.

Ally covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my god, no. Elliot asked me out again next Wednesday. He said we might go mountain biking." Ally wondered if he actually got his sister's bike fixed so she could go biking with him.

"Mountain biking is dirty," Trish nudged her again. Another clothing store caught her attention. Ally followed Trish in. She was about to look at some skirts on one of the racks when her phone buzzed.

 _you want to meet up?  
im probably not gonna leave until a little later  
got some stuff to do_

"Continue," Trish said as she sidled up to Ally and began to look at the skirts. Ally slipped her phone back into her purse.

"So then he ordered some seafood pasta and I got some chowder. But he like, prompted the waiter to take my order. It was really nice," Ally said, blushing at the memory.

"Oooh," Trish said.

"Yeah, it was romanti—"

"No, I mean this skirt. Do you think this would go with my black t-shirt with the sparkly red heart?"

"The one you got last summer?"

Trish took the skirt off the rack and held it up for inspection. "Yeah."

Ally thought about it for a moment. "I could see that. You could match it with your sparkly red—"

"—Dorothy shoes," Trish finished for her. They were so in synch they could finish each other's sentences. Ally really loved having that bond with Trish.

"And your glittery headband from that—"

"—Kiosk in the mall," Trish said. "Oh yeah, I can definitely see that." Trish grabbed the skirt and proceeded to the next rack of items. Ally rolled her eyes and followed in suit.

It was like this every time they went shopping.

Ally decided to continue with her date with Elliot. "So then we talked about frozen desserts. We had a small debate about gelato and ice cream and frozen yogurt—"

"I love frozen yogurt. You wanna get some later?" Trish said. Ally shrugged mentally to herself.

"Sure, why not," Ally replied. Ally waited until Trish finished paying for her purchase at the front desk before they moved out of the store. Her phone vibrated inside her messenger bag.

Ally mentally rolled her eyes. She was getting anxious. She was running out of time to decide if she wanted to meet up with Dan.

 _scratch that, im moving towards a table closer to taco bell  
and i might be eating a taco, too_

"Who are you texting? You've been on your phone all day," Trish asked. She was hauling a bag in each hand and staring pointedly at Ally. "You've been looking at your phone more than your Mouldy Dick book in your purse."

Ally almost burst into tears. "First of all, it's _Moby Dick_. And second, I honestly have no clue." She locked her phone but kept it in her hand.

Trish raised an eyebrow and gave her a look. "What do you mean you have no clue?"

Ally opened her mouth to reply, but then shut it just as fast. How were you supposed to explain a drunken night that the person you hate brought you to? "Well— So— Here's the thing— You see— I mean— It was like—"

"I'm having a hard time following," Trish said sarcastically. Ally frowned at her, twirling her hair with one hand.

"Okay so. After Ms. Krum sent Piper and Kira home, she made Austin and me buddies. And since I was his buddy he decided that asking me to go with him to a party he got invited to would be the right thing to do. He was literally bugging me all day. So, after debate on Monday, Austin picked me up in a cab. I thought we were going back to the hotel but apparently we were going to the party. So we went to the party and he mixed me a few drinks before _abandoning_ me at the bar. Long story short, I woke up the next morning with this random number texting me saying that he wanted to kiss me," Ally said.

She took in a deep breath.

"Woah, hold up. You went out after curfew on the _first day_ of this trip?" Trish asked. "Wow, Ally. I thought Canadians were supposed to rub good off on you, not bad."

Ally grumbled. "It was all Austin's fault."

Trish looked at her for a moment. "So then what happened?"

"Well, I woke up the next morning. And this guy named Dan texts me and he's like, 'Oh it was fun meeting you last night. I should've kissed you. We should meet up soon,'" Ally said, making her voice sound deep and _manly_.

"Dang, Ally," Trish said, shaking her head impressed. "It hasn't even been a week and already you've got two guys worshipping your every move."

Ally scrunched up her nose. "They're not worshiping my every move," Ally told Trish. The dark-haired Latina just shook her head. "And besides, Dan wants to meet up ever since that first text."

"What if he's like a pedophile who just happened to have your phone number?" Trish asked. Ally thought about that.

"But then why would he be asking to meet up in a public place? He's literally like, 'I'm at the food court by Starbucks, yo.' I don't think he's a pedo," Ally said, lacing her thoughts together as her sentence came out. It made sense.

Trish turned to look at Ally. "He's at the food court? By Starbucks? Right now?"

"Um, yeah," Ally said. She checked her messages again. "Oh right, he's by Taco Bell now."

Something flashed across Trish's face. She looked excited. "Let's go see if we can find him!" Trish grabbed her arm with the hand she had her shoes in and began to drag her towards the escalator.

Ally yanked her arm back, suddenly frightened. "What? Are you crazy? What if he thinks I'm ugly? What if he realizes sober me isn't as great as drunk me? I didn't even know I gave out my number."

"Relax, Ally. We'll just scope him out from afar. You don't have to talk to him or anything. Maybe he might even turn out to be a nerd like you," Trish said. Trish rarely called her a nerd or dork, but when she did it was usually to prove a point.

Ally grumbled but let Trish drag her up the escalator towards the food court. Ally protested peacefully. While they waited Trish asked, "Do you know what he looks like?"

Ally huffed. "No, and that's why I'm nervous of meeting up. Like what if he's ugly? Or what if he's super hot and he thinks _I'm_ ugly?"

"You're not ugly," Trish said immediately. "Well, if he turns out ugly, you always have Elliot."

Ally smiled.

The two girls walked past the first few concession stands, the smell of food wafting up their noses. Ally smelled Thai, Indian, greasy burgers and fries and soup. It was making her hungry. They have been walking for a while now.

Trish was still pulling on her arm, leading her to the Taco Bell. Ally suddenly wanted to keep her head low.

"Taco Bell," Trish said, letting go of her arm and presenting Ally with the concession that was twenty feet away. They were about to see anyone seated nearby without having them recognize the girls instantly.

Ally licked her lips in anticipation. Although she didn't know what she was even _anticipating_. Trish and her decided to sit down at one of the tables where they could see everyone but couldn't be seen at the same time. Trish placed her shopping bags on the table to help Ally hide ever further.

"Do you see him?" Ally whispered. Trish laughed at her.

"Who are we even looking for? What does he even look like?"

"I don't know," Ally hissed back. She was ducking behind the shopping bags. Whenever someone walked by, she pretended to have her head down, looking at the screen of her phone.

"This is hopeless if you don't know what he looks like," Trish muttered. Just then, Ally's phone buzzed with another message. She scrambled to check her messages.

 _have you ever read pride and prejudice?  
it's so good! i'm reading it right now_

Ally nearly dropped her phone. "Look for a guy reading _Pride and Prejudice_." Ally frantically began her own search as Trish looked around. What if that was her copy of _Pride and Prejudice_? Did fate bring them together once again?

Ally was _really_ loving fate.

Ally craned her neck to look around the food court. A guy reading in a place like this?

"Ally!" Trish hissed through the shopping bags. Ally snapped her neck back around to stare at Trish through the purchases. Trish subtly hitched her thumb over her shoulder and nodded her head towards the left. "Look."

Ally craned her neck and squinted. There, sitting at a table by himself was a guy with squared glasses with thick, black frames. His hair was brown, and he wore a black t-shirt that had _The Beatles_ printed in faded white print. In front of him was a plate of two tacos, one untouched, the other having a big bite in it. He had a half-finished caramel frappuchino beside his meal.

Suddenly, a girl walked by and tripped on Ally's foot that was sticking out under the table. "Sorry!" Ally said.

The girl turned around and looked at her. She wrinkled her nose. "Watch where you put your foot!" Her vibrant eyes sparkled angrily at her. Ally shrunk away.

The girl walked away, holding her drink in one hand and an empty plate in the other. Trish gave the girl a dirty look before she disappeared from sight. Trish then turned back to Ally. "Go talk to him!"

Ally blinked, returning to the current situation. "What? No! I can't!"

Trish rolled her eyes. "Why not? He's sitting right there, reading that Pride and Pre-juice book. You could so go talk to him right now."

Ally bit her lip. "I don't know..."

"Go!" Trish said, removing her bags from the table. Ally was suddenly exposed to wandering eyes and anyone else who looked when something moved. Ally stood up suddenly and began walking in the opposite direction.

Trish grumbled and followed her, getting a firmer grip on her shopping bags. "Wait up, Ally!" Ally slowed a little to let her Latina friend catch up. "C'mon, he's sitting right there."

"I don't know. I just... can't. Now that I know he's—" _Now that I know he's hot,_ she wanted to say. Trish probably didn't see it but damn, he was fine as hell. "—What he looks like," Ally corrected herself at the last second.

Trish groaned. "Oh come on! You found your secret lover you've been texting all week and you can't even stop by to say hi?"

Ally sighed. Trish took that as a sign to stop with the question. "So, we still going for frozen yogurt?" Trish asked. Ally nodded her head.

"Fro-yo sounds good right now," Ally said. She couldn't get the image of Dan sitting there and reading _Pride and Prejudice_ out of her head. She took her phone out and texted him back.

 _i have_

After another second she decided to text him again.

 _and i can't meet up today, sorry  
im going for fro-yo with my friend_

Ally approved of that. It wasn't a total lie. She _was_ busy, and she was going for frozen yogurt with Trish. It wasn't a lie at all.

The two girls wandered around the mall and looked at the directory about five times before figuring out the way back to the entrance of the mall where the frozen yogurt shop was. It was a 'do it yourself' kind of thing where the price was based off how heavy the produce weighed.

Ally got some plain vanilla yogurt and topped it with sprinkles and some chocolate chips. Trish on the other hand got chocolate yogurt with all the fruit gummies and gummy bears and gummy worms and _gummies_ to top off her choice.

Ally took out her wallet to pay but Trish shook her head. "My idea, my treat." Ally frowned at Trish.

"C'mon you just bought shoes and a skirt, let me pay for this one," Ally said. But Trish still denied her.

"No, seriously Ally. I insist," Trish said, handing the cashier some cash before Ally could protest. The clerk looked at the two.

"You two are adorable," the woman said. She was probably in her late forties as Ally could spot some gray streaks in her strawberry blonde hair. Ally blushed as Trish gave her a little side hug.

"Aw, that's so sweet. Thank you," Ally said, still trying to calm her blush. The woman just winked at the two before attending to the next customer. Maybe Canadians were nicer after all.

Ally and Trish enjoyed their frozen treat inside of the shop. The tables and chairs matched the colours of the walls and the carpet in the shop. It was really aesthetically pleasing up to the point where Trish just _had_ to take a photo of their frozen yogurt.

Trish smiled as she looked at the photo. She was on her phone for the rest of the time they were in the yogurt shop. Ally took a little time to read her book. She was constantly aware of the fact that Dan could literally walk into the frozen yogurt shop at any time and see her sitting there.

Ally hummed quietly to herself as she read some pages of _Moby Dick_. She ate her yogurt and just enjoyed the story being told in her mind. She licked her lips.

"I think that's enough adventure and shopping for one day, don't you think?" Trish said after a while. Ally had finished a few more pages of her book. She checked the time on her phone. 3:08pm.

"Yeah," she said. "Let's get back to the hotel."

The girls finished the rest of their frozen yogurt before leaving the way they came in. The bus was pulling up to the curb as they got there. Since their bus passes haven't expired yet, they were allowed to get on for free as long as they showed their passes.

Ally let Trish have the seat this time when they got on. She stood by Trish however, as the bus began to move. Being as short as she was, it was easy to lose Trish in the crowd.

When they got back to the hotel, Ally thanked Trish again for a wonderful day and headed to her suite from the elevator. She was exhausted. A day of shopping, and stalking and texting and eating. She was utterly spent.

Ally thought back to earlier when she and Trish were spying on Dan.

Ah, Dan.

He was literally _so fucking hot_. How was she supposed to live knowing that someone like him actually _liked_ someone like her? Damn.

And he was reading _Pride and Prejudice_ in the middle of the food court like it was nobody's business but his own. Ally smiled as she flopped back down onto her bed. Her day was spent perfectly.

Ally decided to spend the rest of the day studying for debate. She was frantic to do well. Maybe some universities were sending representatives to look for some great debaters or public speakers to recruit some students.

Ally sighed as she began to read her notes. Her brain swarming with thoughts and Dan. She heard her phone buzz.

 _have you watched the new star wars movie?_

Ally grinned to herself. A Star Wars fan? Dan was literally the whole package.

 _i have_

 _that's a shame we could have gone together  
we should meet up soon!_

 _we should_

* * *

 **From the moment I wrote Mouldy Dick I knew this was gonna be a cool chapter.**

 **You might be thinking that this chapter might've been _boring_ and I might've agreed if it weren't for the fact that ALLY SAW DAN. omg. And... there's another thing... But I'll leave you with your own devices to figure that out. But seriously guys, if you think a chapter with Ally and Trish bonding is boring, you should all be ashamed. !Edit: And this is exactly what I mean. Already some people are complaining about the lack of Auslly in this chapter. WOULD YA'LL CALM DOWN AND ENJOY ALLY AND TRISH FOR ONE MOMENT.**

 **And I just read a little bit of the next chapter AND IT'S ONE OF MY FAVOURITE ONES. I'm not gonna give anything away but let's just say you might be seeing a different side of a certain character soon... Heheheheheeeee.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

 _ **damn, mr. darcy could teach me a thing or two**_


	7. vii

**:D**

 **Hello! I hope you're all having a lovely day, whenever you're reading this. Personally, I'm _not_. I have this small, annoying headache that's just _there_ in the back of my mind. It gets better but then worse so :/.**

 **So, yeah. THIS IS MY FAVOURITE CHAPTER EVER! I'M SO EXCITED AHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

 **I don't own anything. So without further ado, ENJOY!**

* * *

Sunday morning only had one optional outing; attending a mass. Ally had put on her old debate clothing and decided she was going to spend her Sunday morning in a church. She wanted to relax after she dove into her debate notes after a day out.

And because she wanted to clear her head a little.

Ally grabbed her brown trench coat off the top of the dresser and headed to the lobby where all the people who wanted to head to church were waiting. Ms. Krum was obviously chaperoning this kind-of outing.

Ally counted twenty nine people, including herself and Ms. Krum.

Ms. Krum led the small group down the street, around the corner and down three more blocks to a nearby church. The service hadn't began yet, which meant the group could enter the church and pray for a while by themselves.

Ally sat down beside a redhead girl who looked a lot like that Dez Wade kid, and Sun Hee. Ally wasn't usually religious, but a new country meant new experiences, right?

The service started as the choir in the pew towards the left began to sing. Ally paid careful attention to everything that was happening at the altar.

The last time she was in a church and actually made it through the entire service was when her mother took her. But that was a long time ago. She couldn't remember what to say and when to sit and stand. It was a little embarrassing.

Albeit she wasn't really participating in the service, it was nice to hear the choir sing and hear the priest talk about life in general.

Ally thought about life in that time. Life was great. She was on the brink of a debate scholarship, she had great friends, a job succeeding her dad to fall back on if she didn't get what she had in mind. She had plan A and B all figured out.

The choir's voice broke into her thoughts. Ally paid careful attention to the rest of the service.

When the mass was over, Ms. Krum took everyone who went to the service for ice cream. It was a little funny how there was a church on the same street as an ice cream shop. Ally hummed as she licked her green ice cream cone. It was Fruity Mint Swirl, her favourite ice cream.

The group walked around the block for a while as they finished their ice cream cones. Ms. Krum was talking about how they should go see a theatre show next time as a group outing. Not many people were listening.

Ally finished the rest of her frozen dairy and shivered. Why were there so many frozen treats to enjoy in Vancouver yet it was so cold?

The brunette's phone buzzed in her coat pocket. It was a text from her dad. He was regularly checking in with Ally.

Of course he was she was, she was three thousand miles away.

 _hey honey how was your sleep?_

Ally grinned. Her dad texted her every morning and every night before she went to bed. Sometimes in between. Sometimes just to ask where she put the extra drumsticks back at Sonic Boom.

 _it was great, dad  
how was yours?_

 _good good_

Ally threw her phone back into her pocket when the texts stop coming. Her dad was eventually going to remember to reply to her. After he was done his daily routine of fishing change out of the mall fountain.

One month, Ally counted how much change he got everyday and averaged it out over the course of the month. Her dad made seventeen extra cents every day.

Ms. Krum made the group walk around the block a few more times, just to stretch their limbs. Ally used that time to zone out and think about what was said during the liturgy.

* * *

Ally walked back to the hotel with the debate group. It was two in the afternoon. Ally spotted Trish at the buffet right when she walked through the hotel doors.

She broke away from the group. "Hey, Trish," Ally beamed at her. She was feeling all nice and holy and happy after that ice cream. A little cold, but it never killed anyone.

Right?

Trish glanced up from her plate. She had the prongs of the fork in her mouth and was looking through the pastries at the dessert table. "Hi. Where were you this morning? I was looking for you so we could go to the all-day karaoke thing later."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. I went to mass this morning."

"Mass?" Trish made a face. Ally new the only reason Trish didn't like the services was because she just didn't like to sit through them. She did however liked to sing along with the choir.

"Yeah. And then Krum took us out for ice cream."

"It's like negative seventy outside right now."

"It's not."

Trish shrugged and continued to look for some pastries to eat. Ally grabbed a few cookies with a napkin and ate them as she followed Trish deeper into the buffet. The karaoke could probably be heard from seven floors up.

Ally and Trish chose a seat right at the back. Trish said if they needed to leave, the back was probably the best place to sit.

It was also the _only_ place to sit. All the other seats were taken.

Ally hadn't realized open-mic karaoke was so popular. She even saw some of her debate team members lining up and choosing a song to lip-sync to. The rest were right in the front row.

They must have been there all morning.

Ally bit into her chocolate chip cookie as the next act got on stage. It was two middle-aged men. They both had grins on their faces and mics in their hands.

Ally immediately recognized the song they were singing. It was a Taylor Swift song. And they were doing an awful job at it. But the two men both had grins on their faces as if they were having the best time of their lives.

Someone in the crowd started clapping. More people began to join in. Soon, Ally herself had her cookie in her mouth to free her hands to clap. The two guys on stage were laughing their heads off. And the crowd was loving it.

"These guys are pure comedy," Trish was laughing. Ally giggled at seeing Trish with her mouth stuffed with cream puffs and chortling loudly.

"Exactly," Ally said. "We should do a comedy act on open-mic night next Friday."

Trish looked at her. "What happened to that stage-fright?"

Ally rolled her eyes. "I got over that when I joined debate, remember?"

"Does that apply to comedy acts?"

"You tell me. Debate is speaking on serious topics. Comedy is well—" Ally motioned to the stage where the two guys were just finishing up their song, screaming into the mic and sliding on their knees to do an air-guitar solo.

Trish nodded. "We gotta start writing down our acts."

Ally was about to reply when there was a sudden bout of tumultuous clapping from the crowd. The two men on stage bowed and hobbled off. Ally grimaced. Air-guitar on your knees must hurt.

Especially when you're nearly forty.

Ally's phone buzzed. She checked her messages without looking at who texted her. It was probably her dad, finally remembering what he wanted to say.

 _hi you busy?_

It was Dan.

Suddenly, Ally forgot how to breathe. She remembered seeing him, sitting there with her perfect hair and perfect posture and his cute hair and glasses and how he was reading a book in the middle of the food court. Ally was swooning.

She chose the safe thing to say

 _i can text_

 _that's great! so can i, as i have two thumbs_

Ally giggled. She heard the next act get on stage. They were going to sing a song from Panic! At the Disco. Ally kept her ears open, just in case she knew the song.

 _gee, never would've thought_

 _we have to meet up soon  
im dying to see your face again_

Ally felt heat rush to her cheeks. He was dying to see her again? She clenched her teeth together, looking up from her phone to check if anyone was staring at her. A tap on her shoulder startled her into dropping her phone into her purse.

"Chuck and Dez are going on stage," Trish told her. Ally snapped her head around to look at the Latina.

"What? I thought those two hated each other after the Great Potato Sack Race incident," Ally frowned. She looked at Dez in his wacky, colourful clothing on stage, doing some stretches and preparing to sing. She then glanced at Chuck who was doing vocal exercises.

Those two sure were something.

"Well, who cares. Looks like we're getting more comedy," Trish said excitedly. Ally rolled her eyes. She knew Trish and Dez had a friendly rivalry going on. It was healthy.

In a way.

Ally watched with an excited Trish as Dez and Chuck did a medley of _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star_ and _Mary Had A Little Lamb_. It oddly all balanced out and harmonized together perfectly. Ally was impressed.

Trish on the other hand had her phone up and was filming the entire thing, occasionally zooming into Dez's face and laughing, then doing the same for Chuck. Trish sure was living life to the fullest.

 _i miss your cute nose  
and your brown eyes  
and your smile_

Ally tried extremely hard not to combust.

Especially not while Sun Hee was supposedly singing some sad Korean song. The lyrics where in Korean but they provided a translation. It was depressing, alright. All about past lovers and broken promises and dreams.

Past lovers, broken promises and dreams. It was just like a sadder version of every depressing love story throughout history.

Ally blinked a few times to clear her head.

Once Sun Hee had finished, the bar was taking a short break to fix the mics, since some had been dropped. Ally watched as everyone began to grab snacks from the buffet and return to their seats and wait for the noise to die down and the audio to be fixed. They were going a little haywire.

At the thought of the word _hay_ , Ally realized that she hadn't seen Austin and his straw-coloured hair all day. Just the thought of his name sent her blood boiling. She could remember exactly why she was mad at him, for every single reason.

She clenched her purse tightly in her hand as she glanced around. Everyone was chattering loudly and speaking amiably. Trish was even talking to Dez and smiling.

Oh wait, she was showing him her video of all the face-zooms she did on him and Chuck.

Ally sighed, shaking her head. Something in her mood change, but she couldn't pick it up. All she knew now was that she shouldn't have been wasting time on karaoke when she could have been studying for debate or something else worthwhile.

Ally excused herself from the buffet even though no one was really paying attention, and she didn't really direct her speech towards anyone.

Just herself.

Ally walked into the lobby and pressed the button to call the elevator.

It was already four thirty in the afternoon.

Four thirty! That was when Elliot wanted to meet up with her on Wednesday. It was going to be lovely. She could only imagine what they were going to do this time. Maybe they could go hiking and just talk for a while. She'd like that.

Ah, good ol' Elliot.

Ally rode the elevator up to her suite, thinking about Elliot the entire time. His honey brown hair, his muscular arms, his cute blue eyes that glimmered in the light and shone when he was making a joke. Ally was having trouble breathing by the time she unlocked the door to her suite.

But then she remembered that Dan had just only texted her and she went back to bursting with giddiness.

Dan. Elliot. Dan. Elliot.

Dan. Elliot. Dan. Elliot.

She decided to text Dan.

 _stop it_

And then text Elliot.

 _i can't wait for our date on wednesday_

Ally felt guilty. It was like she was leading a double life.

Ally sighed, flopping down onto her bed. She was wearing an old knit scarf her grandma had made for her and a jacket over her shirt. She took those off and turned the heat up in her room.

She wandered into the bathroom, pulling out a braid she put in her hair just for mass. She brushed it out a few times.

Ally was about to wash her face when she stopped abruptly. She needed to get dinner from the buffet later. Maybe she'll wash her face right before she shut the lights off for the night. It was already getting dark, anyway.

She sighed as she threw on some comfortable clothes. A cotton white t-shirt, flannel pajama bottoms and some mismatched socks. She slipped her feet into her monkey slippers and threw her binder of notes on her bed.

Debate wasn't the only thing she had to study for.

Ally hummed as she took out her green highlighter and began to find the main points of her notes. It took a while before she found everything she thought was important.

 _me too! it's going to be great  
i was thinking about where to take you_

Ally sighed a content sigh. Watching as the little bubble with three dots appeared, indicating that Elliot was typing.

 _maybe someplace cool that you haven't been yet_

 _we've been around ms krum took us nearly everywhere_

It was true. They've seen weird raindrop art, they've been to a park, they've been to a cathedral, Science World. Ally herself has been to the art museum, the mall, the debate complex, a party. She's done it all.

 _guess i'm just going to have to surprise you hey als?_

Ally blinked and cringed intentionally. Als? She absolutely _hated_ being called _Als_. It was like they were too lazy to pronounce her name right. It was four letters with two syllables. It wasn't that hard, yet they still shorten it?

Ally grunted as she texted Elliot back.

 _haha i'll be looking forward to it_

She considered calling him Ells.

* * *

Ally spent another hour studying the notes she created for Chemistry. It was almost impossible to concentrate as the karaoke from downstairs seemed to get louder and louder with each passing minute.

Not to mention the fact that people were raving in all the other suites. It was as if Sunday was a day for partying. Didn't everyone have school and work tomorrow?

Ally frowned as she looked at an equation that always frustrated her. She bit the tip of her highlighter, trying to concentrate while her entire suite vibrated.

A text snapped her out of her trance. Ally picked her phone up. It was from Trish, calling her down. They were serving sushi at the buffet, which they rarely did. Ally didn't even finish reading the text before she hopped off her bed.

She just changed out of her sleeping bottoms into a pair of leggings. She was going to grab some sushi and head right back up to her suite. She was sick of karaoke.

Ally decided to take the stairs as the elevator had a group of people milling around and waiting for it to carry them down from her floor. Ally made a mad dash down seven flights of stairs, nearly tripping after the fourth flight.

She jumped them near the bottom, two at a time. Sushi made her mouth water. Seafood in general made her mouth water.

But sushi wasn't seafood, was it?

How does one classify seafood?

She made it to the buffet just as people began to realize they were serving sushi. Ally grabbed a plate and began to fill it how she wished. She got a few tuna rolls, avocado rolls and cucumber rolls. Then moved to the big guns; dynamite roll, salmon rolls, yam rolls, those rice balls with fish on them that are only classified by a foreign name.

Ally couldn't find Trish anywhere in the mob. The music was deafening and the people were relentless. Maybe that was why they brought in sushi; because the people were growing wild.

Ally ran into someone as she deployed her exit. Her sushi shifted on her paper plate. "Sorry!" She called over her shoulder as she raced into the elevator. She realized that she could've just called room service.

But what was the fun in doing that?

Ally made it back to her suite. She ate two cucumber rolls and a California roll before she even opened her room door.

She changed back into her flannel bottoms and dove into her meal. It was like heaven was happening right inside her mouth. She let out a groan because _damn_ , she really loved sushi.

There was a TV mounted on the wall opposite of her bed, right to the left of the drawer. She never had time to watch any before, but now that she was eating in bed _and_ bored out of her mind, she decided to turn it on and browse through the channels.

There was nothing to watch. Nothing at all. There was no TV service. Ally frowned, looking at the screen that was saying _'Channel unavailable. Please check with your provider._ '

Ally sighed, deciding to pull out a random book from her suitcase. She reached around for a while before finding one. _The Great Gatsby_.

She approved of her choice.

But after a while, she couldn't focus on the words swimming on the page. The damn karaoke was impossible to ignore. There was just a constant thumping of the music ringing somewhere in the back of her mind while the room vibrated in turn.

Ally tried looking at her notes again. The green highlights were helping her focus. Oddly enough, she got through two pages of history notes before there was a knock on her door. Ally checked the time on her phone before opening the door to her suite.

8:39pm.

Was God finally here to stop all the bad lip-syncs?

Ally flung open the door. She probably looked like shit after groaning and complaining to herself by yelling into her pillow about how much the karaoke was bothering her. Her hair was all messed up, and her clothes were wrinkled. If someone looked close enough, they could probably see a soy sauce stain on her pajama pants.

"Jace?" Ally asked, rubbing her eyes, to make sure she wasn't delusional. Jace was the last person she expected to see right now. There was even Trent and Gavin behind him.

Great, the entire dick squad had seen her looking like hell.

 _What else is new?_

"Hey, know-it-all. You know where Austin is?" Jace said, getting right to the point. He had his hands in his pockets but Gavin and Trent both had a beer in hand. Ally rubbed her forehead.

"If I knew where he was I'd probably be as far away from there as possible," she muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Jace crinkled his forehead. "You don't know where he is, do you?" He sighed as he said that. Ally frowned.

"No, I don't. Why should I? He can do whatever he wants." Ally muttered the last bit.

"Well, you're buddies, right? You're like his _keeper_ or something. Like, shouldn't you know where he is?" Jace asked. Ally thought about that. She probably should know where he is. But she didn't.

"What do you mean?" She asked, leaning against the doorframe now. Her arms were crossed over her chest.

Jace sighed again. "Well, like. You don't want to get in trouble for _not_ knowing where your buddy is, right? Like, what if Krum asks ya where Moon is and you have no idea? What happens then?"

Ally frowned. She never thought of that before. She _was_ responsible for knowing where Austin was in a way. Like, if he went somewhere for instance. Where one buddy goes, both buddies go.

Ally furrowed her eyebrows. "You've got a point," she said slowly. It was hard admitting she was wrong, especially to someone like Jace.

"I tried texting him already, but either his goddamn phone is dead or _he's_ dead." Jace shook his head, looking at the screen of his phone. Behind him, Trent burped.

Ally sighed, rubbing her forehead again. Great, now she had to go figure out where Austin was before Ms. Krum could figure out that she lost her buddy somewhere.

"You think his parents would notice if he isn't back in Miami by next week?"

Jace looked at her as if this were an actual question to consider. "Well, yeah." Jace rubbed his own forehead, still looking at his phone. "The last thing he texted me was that he was going to a protest."

Ally frowned. "A protest?"

"Yeah, something about a liquor protest." Jace dismissed that without saying anything else. "Anyway, just like, tell us if you find him. Or like, tell him we're going to the lounge," Jace said. Ally nodded, glad they were finally leaving her alone.

"Will do," she said, flashing them a thumbs up as the three males left. Ally sighed, closing her door. She made a face to herself before sighing and grabbing her phone to check the time.

It was nine.

She had an hour to find Austin before curfew. Ally groaned. _I don't want to do this. Please no. I'd rather stay in my suite and study. I'll even tolerate the thumping and raving._

A loud but muffled scream rippled through her suite walls. Ally flinched, then groaned.

Ally sighed again, finding her suite key and slipping it into her pocket, nothing else. She grabbed a small windbreaker and left her suite in her pajamas. She didn't even bother changing. She was fuming. When she found that little golden retriever she was going to give him a piece of her mind.

She was halfway out the door of the lobby when she realized that her shoelaces weren't even tied. Ally ignored them, jogging down the street. If she were a little blond imbecile, where would she be at nine at night?

Ally sighed, walking around the block. A liquor protest? That sounded odd. Very peculiar for sure. If anything, he would be the one protesting for the age of drinking to be sixteen.

Liquor protest.

Liquor. Protest.

A light bulb went off inside her head. Of course! Ally grunted as she pivoted on her foot, turning into the other direction and began to sprint west. She knew the place. She saw it when she was heading to the mall with Trish.

Austin wasn't going to a liquor protest, he was going to the liquor _bar_ called Protest. It was an odd name.

Ally huffed as she ran. It was a ten minute drive from where she was, but she didn't bring her phone to call a taxi. She considered hitching a ride when one came around but who knew how long that was going to take.

Ally kept jogging as she waited for the crossroad light to go off. Why not workout at the same time? Ally dashed across the street right as it allowed her to do so.

The frigid air cooled down her increasingly rising temperature. Ally realized that her hair was a mess, she was in her sleeping attire and her shoelaces were undone. On top of that, she didn't have her phone. If she got mugged, she wasn't losing much.

Her dignity was already gone.

Protest was a wild bar. You could hear the screams and shouts and loud music and see the lights from a mile away. Ally slowed as she neared the block. The thumping of the music only reminded her of the karaoke bar back at the hotel.

God, she hated karaoke.

As Ally neared the bar, she came to the realization that she probably needed an ID or something to get into the bar. Great, her mighty plan fails now, when she was so close to victor—

Stumbling out of the bar was Austin Moon in the flesh. He was clutching his stomach and his eyes were shut. Ally didn't see it coming but he found a trashcan right outside the bar and threw up.

So much for not getting hungover.

Ally wrinkled her nose in disgust as Austin clumsily wiped his mouth with a tissue he found on the ground. God, he was a pig.

He was stumbling a lot. It was as if his feet couldn't decide if the right one should move or the left one should move. His was groping at the air, a light grin on his face. Gibberish was flying out of his mouth.

He was going down the block in the opposite direction.

Ally darted after him. She didn't want Austin to get into trouble, which would result in _her_ getting into trouble. She barely had time to follow him down the block before he turned on his heel.

Suddenly, he was barrelling towards her. He stumbled right into her without stopping. Ally almost fell over if it weren't for the fact that she actually did stop to tie her Nike laces up at the last crossroad. Austin would've stepped on them.

"Thank Jeeeesus," he slurred. "Bumping into a hot chick like you heeere," he laughed. It would've meant a lot more if his eyes weren't shut tightly as if he were underwater.

Ally took the time to survey herself. She was a sweaty mess from running, her face red and blotchy. Her hair was a nest, her clothes smelled like sushi and soy sauce. Ally sighed.

"It's me, Ally," she snapped. Grabbing him by the arm, Ally turned on her heel and tried to pull him back to the hotel, which was fifteen minutes away. At this rate, with him stumbling around so much, they were going to need twenty or even a half hour, tops.

Austin resisted her tugging on him. He was fighting back so hard, Ally's hand slipped and he ended up punching himself in the eye, hard.

"Ouch!" He shouted, rubbing his eyes with his hands. "Whazzat for?"

"For being a little pain in the ass and sneaking out of the hotel without telling me," Ally snapped. She yanked on his arm again. "And for getting so wasted that you called me a _hot chick_. Geez, open your eyes dimwit." Ally was just firing insults that played at the back of her head now. She was so done with his shit.

"I can't," he said. Austin demonstrated by trying to lift his eyelids, which apparently were glued to his lower lids. Ally sighed, pulling him along. He stumbled and tripped over his laces. Ally let go of him and watched as he hit the ground, landing on his face.

"Awsh, fuck," he mumbled. Ally giggled as she watched him in a helpless pile on the ground. Then she thought back to the mass she went to in the morning and about how you should help people, not stand aside and watch them suffer.

Damn it.

Ally groaned, grabbing him by the shoulders and helping Austin stand up. She shook his shoulders. "Get up, we have to get back to the hotel before Ms. Krum whoops your ass."

Austin was still struggling to open his eyes. He must've hit the ground hard, as his forehead was now bleeding. Just a little cut on his brow bone. She felt a little sympathy for him. "Whaddabout yousss asssss?" He slurred. Still trying to insult her even though he was drunk out of his mind.

Wonderful.

Ally just grunted as she threw one of Austin's arm over her shoulders and grabbed his waist with her hand. Damn, he was heavy. They walked for a bit before Austin's foot caught behind hers and he went tumbling down again, laughing.

Ally sighed. "What happened to you anyway?"

Austin rubbed his eyes. "This guy bought me a ssshot. It was called a sssstuntman and when you do it you squirt a lil' lime in your eye and it sounded like a weird idea but the shot was freeee ya dig? And what kind of ugly American would I be if I turned down a free shot." He hiccuped at the end of the sentence.

"Real smart, asshole," Ally grumbled. She helped him up again, holding her hand out to his. He had trouble find her hand, but when he did, it was easy to get him up off the ground. His hands were so calloused and rough.

She threw his arm of his shoulder again and walked carefully this time. They made their way back in the direction of the hotel. Ally wished she brought her phone and her wallet. That way she could've just shoved him into a taxi and be done with his ass.

"Lissen. I wass juss thinking about your sit-sit-situ-sitiation," he says, pronouncing 'situation' wrong.

"What situation?" Ally asked, looking up. He was beaming at her, his eyes still partly closed. He looked happier than he has been in a while.

"Ya know, Elliot and Danny?" Austin said, hiccupping. "I say theys both assholes. So ditch 'em for a better guy. Maybe like, a Johnny. Or a Bill."

He wasn't making any sense now. Ally just sighed. "Is that so?"

Austin didn't reply. His eyes were finally open, but he was blinking a lot. They were nearing a street with a bunch of 24/7 fast food restaurants. Austin saw a McDonalds and he was gone. "Look, Ally! Mc-McDonalds! I love McDonalds. And fries, and burgers and ssshakes and, and—"

He was shaking so much it was putting a physical strain on her as well. "Calm down, Austin," she grumbled.

"Look, there's Ms. Krummm eating a sanmich," he said. Apparently sandwich wasn't a word he could pronounce on his own either. Ally's head shot up in alarm immediately, looking through the glass windows. Indeed there was Ms. Krum sitting at a table and eating a burger.

 _Shit._

Ally crouched down. They were only three blocks away from the hotel now. Not much further to go. She yanked on Austin's arm and sent him tumbling towards the ground again.

 _Sorry, buddy._

"Hey!" Austin protested. He tried to stand up again but Ally had a grip on his shirt. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Resting," she murmured. She was tired. Austin slumped down beside her.

"I needa rest, too," Austin mumbled, breathlessly. His face hit her lap in a matter of seconds and Ally resisted the urge to scream. His body relaxed and Ally felt his nose on her thigh.

She didn't know what to do other than keep watch for Ms. Krum. She was still enjoying her burger, occasionally stopping to drink from her soda cup.

Ally had to keep her hands on Austin's head to prevent him from looking up. She hadn't realized that she was softly running her hands through his tousled hair, tapping her fingers on the base of his neck. His cheek was against her thigh now.

Ally got up abruptly right has Ms. Krum had turned around. Ally got up into a crouch again. She turned to Austin who was looking up, confused at the loss of her. He looked like a lost puppy, his hair all messy and his face blank.

"Now, listen carefully. We're going to run while crouching to the end of his block. From there it's just a sprint to the hotel, got it?" Ally asked.

Austin nodded rapidly, blinking at the same time. "You have great plans, Ally."

She snorted. "'Bout time you noticed. Now get off your ass and start running." Austin obeyed her, surprisingly and sprinted ahead of her in a matter of seconds. She forgot he was fast.

She caught up to him just as they reached the hotel doors. Austin nearly crashed, headfirst into the two golden doors if it weren't for the doormen. Ally muttered an apology and watched as Austin hit the carpeted lobby floor, his leg giving way under him. He tumbled right to where her feet were, knocking her off balance.

Ally flailed in the air for a second before she landed on top of Austin's back. He groaned underneath her. Ally got up quickly and yanked on his arm again. Ms. Krum could stroll through the lobby doors at any second.

Ally jammed her finger on the elevator button. "Alllllly," Austin whined from the floor. He held out his hand. "Help me."

Ally yanked on his arm again. He was up and stumbling again. He found support by hugging her small frame from behind, his chin on her head, his hands tight on her waist. Ally willed the elevator to go faster.

"Are we-we home yet?" Austin mumbled. She felt the rumble of his throat on the back of her head.

"We're nearly there," Ally replied, not sure what to do with her hands. "How drunk are you?"

Austin didn't reply. "Iss not sooo bad. Especially now that you're here. You're the best buddy ever. The best!" Austin said, his energy making her body vibrate.

The elevator doors open and Ally stepped inside, careful not to topple Austin over. Unfortunately, his legs gave way again and he slammed into the back wall of the elevator. Ally sighed. He sure was a shitty drunk.

Although he could've held on to any of the support bars in the elevator he opted to drape himself back over her. This time, from the front. Ally felt his body relax.

"Thanksh, Alllly," he murmured into her hair. Ally just sighed, holding her arms around his waist so he didn't topple them both over.

They made it to his floor, the ninth. Austin bolted down the hall as soon as the elevator doors opened. _Great, now he runs properly._

Ally darted after him, careful not to disturb the rest of the sleeping population of debaters on the same floor as him. She spotted him at the front of his suite door, trying to get the key into the hole. He kept on missing.

Austin pushed the key straight into the doorframe this time, dropping it to the ground.

"Let me get that," Ally sighed. However, they both bent over at the same time, bonking their heads together. Ally groaned.

"Ow!" Austin giggled. "Your head is haaaard. And mine huuuurts."

Ally clenched the key in her hand. Her patience nearly running out completely. She flung the door open and shoved Austin inside. She hesitated for a second when she saw him make a b-line for the floor again.

She sighed and followed him inside, closing the door behind her. Austin had made his own way up and onto his bed, falling onto the freshly made sheets. "So comfy," he mumbled.

Ally filled a glass of water from the bathroom for him. "I know. I can't wait to get in mine." She was exhausted.

"Is yous bed as comfy as mine?" Austin asked. "I bet it's not. Twenty, no a _hundred_ bucks!" He laughed, burying his face in the pillows. He was still in his bar attire. Ripped jeans, a band tee.

"I'm sure all the beds feel the same," Ally assured him.

"Come on, try it out," he said. Austin raised his head from the pillow and scooted over, patting the spot next to him on the bed. Ally turned away.

"Haha, _no_ thank you," she muttered. She placed the glass of water on his nightstand. "That's for you. Drink up."

Austin rolled over onto his stomach. "Don't need it. Feel great," he murmured. "You're the best. Have I told you that? You're the best ever!"

"Yup, thanks. I try my best," Ally said, brushing her hands on her flannel pajamas bottoms. "Alright, good night blondie." Ally didn't hear a reply. He was already snoring.

She sighed, tossing his key next to the glass of water. Ally reached into her pajama bottoms to fish out her own key.

Only there's no key in her pocket.

In fact, it doesn't seem like she even _had_ a pocket on her bottoms. Ally began to panic. "Shit."

"You said a bad word, Alllllly," Austin mumbled from the bed. Apparently he wasn't asleep.

Ally took a deep breath and ran over her options in her head. She could go to the front desk and beg for another room key. But that would require something from Ms. Krum. A note, maybe. And who knows, she might be in the lobby right now. Ally glanced back at Austin, curled up on one side of the bed, leaving the other free and untouched.

Ally sighed, taking off her windbreaker and chucking it onto the floor. She was in her pajamas anyway. Ally eased herself onto the bed, careful not to make too much movement in the presence of a sleeping dog.

She tensed, waiting for an indication that she woke him up. But she didn't. Ally sighed, thinking that she was never going to fall asleep. But in seconds, she was pulled into her dreams by exhaustion.

* * *

 **YAAAAAS. YAYAYAYAY. THIS IS MY FAVOURITE THING EVER I DONT KNOW WHY.**

 **drunk!austin is the best, don't you think? If you wanted to know, this was the other side of a certain character. So yeahh.**

 **The latest reviews have made me so happy! Ahhh. I love reading your guys' opinions and reactions and speculations for the story! It's funny and _sometimes_ I even take into account some of the things you guys same and slip it into future chapters. Hmm...**

 **Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

 _ **home shouldn't have to be a place**_


	8. viii

**Hello from the other side of the grave.**

 **I slept in like all of my classes today because I was soooo tired. I literally woke up at 2am and couldn't go back to sleep because it was so fucking cold uGH. On top of that my ENTIRE body hurts. Every single part of my body is in pain. Walking is such a struggle. I'm so unfit.**

 **I like this chapter. I really do.**

 **I don't own anything. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Light.

That's all she saw.

Ally groaned, trying to find the covers to throw over her head to block out the stream of light from the window. She found them and yanked them over her head. Only they wouldn't move. At all. They must be stuck under something.

Ally tried shifting around, only to find herself twisting and turning in the same spot. It was weird. Why was there a fort of pillows built around her?

Her eyes creep open as she spotted a pile of dirty laundry on the floor. A pair of jeans, and a shirt hastily thrown onto the floor. Socks and shoes littering the area next to it. She squinted at the pile. She didn't own a pair of Chuck Taylors...

Nor did she own a pair of shoes so dirty they looked like they came out of the dump rather than a decent store. She couldn't even tell what colour the sneakers were.

 _What the pickle?_

Ally suddenly remembered where she was. The realization slammed into her like a dodge ball. She was in Austin Moon's room. And she was sleeping in his bed. The covers wouldn't move because they were crushed under both of their weights. Her legs felt funny. Like they were restrained by a force. And she felt like she was in a giant hug.

And then it hit her. She _was_ in a giant hug. Because she was spooning with Austin Moon. _Oh my god, I'm spooning with Austin. OhmygodImspooningwithAustin. OHMYGODIMSPOONINGWITHAUSTIN._

His arm was thrown around her waist tightly and their legs were tangled in so many ways she didn't even know where her leg ended and his started. His face was buried into the crook of her neck. She could feel his breath on her shoulder and felt his hair at the back of her neck. She felt the rise and descend of his chest on her back, and she could feel his body weight pressing into hers.

Ally's first instinct was to wriggle the _fuck_ out of there. But then she realized that that would only cause Austin to wake up and confront the fact that she slept— _oh my god_ — in his arms last night.

Ally tried to wiggle slowly out of his iron grip. But every time she moved, his arm just readjusted around her waist and it became even harder to remove herself from his grasp.

His hand was on her side. If he was awake, he could probably feel how fast her heartbeat was. His arm— surprisingly muscular— laid across her stomach in a way that she didn't even notice it was there.

Except for the fact that _now_ it was crushing the air out of her lungs.

Ally gave up trying to slowly struggle out of his grip. She prepared herself, then used all of her might to thrash out of his arms. She was successful. He seemed disoriented for a bit, grunting and shifting on the bed before going back to sleeping as if nothing happened.

Ally, on the other hand, nearly fell of the bed. She blinked, failing on the edge of his bed before rolling over completely and hitting the ground with a _thud_.

 _Smooth move, Dawson._

She sighed, standing up and checking herself out in the mirror in his bathroom. Her hair was messy, her neck was red from Austin's nose, she smelled like Austin and looked like a mess. Her clothes were wrinkled and she looked as disoriented as drunk Austin.

Wonderful.

Ally walked back outside. There was only seven minutes until the morning outing she was supposed to attend. Ally suddenly felt faint. She panicked. She considered her options. She had no clean clothes, no suite key, no way of contacting Trish to ask for a favour. Of course she could always go banging on Trish's door, but chances were the Latina was already waiting in the lobby with the rest of the debate team.

Ally sighed, looking at the piles of dirty clothes on the floor.

She shook her head.

There had to be a better option than that.

Ally looked around for his luggage. It was at the foot of his bed. Of course, it wasn't even unpacked. Ally rummaged through his stuff before she found a graphic shirt twice her size and some suitable Adidas track pants and threw those on. She didn't have time to consider where to leave her dirty pajamas so she just decided to fling them somewhere she'll remember and that Austin won't find.

Ally quickly washed her face and looked at Austin's toothbrush. _No no no_. There had to be a better option. She looked through his cabinet for mouthwash.

There was no mouthwash.

Ally grunted then put an incredible amount of toothpaste on Austin's toothbrush and scrubbed the fuck out of her teeth. Quickly so she wouldn't have to feel too guilty and disgusted about what she was doing.

Ally tied her hair into a messy bun before grabbing her clothes and her windbreaker and ran out of Austin's suite. She flung her clothes behind a potted plant at the end of his hallway and raced to the opposite end where the elevator was. She was out of breath and it wasn't even eight in the morning yet.

Eight was when the outing started.

She just hoped she didn't look like she just got laid before they were about to visit one of the nicest parks in the city. Ally tucked in a corner of Austin's shirt into his pants so it didn't look like she was wearing a dress.

Ally glanced at her reflection in the elevator mirror. She didn't look half bad. This was something maybe a basketball player would wear right after practice. Except she was too short to be a basketball player. And the shirt was too long and the pants had to be rolled up three times. Ally crouched down to tie her laces before the elevator doors opened.

Monday mornings were great.

The elevator doors slid open and Ally burst through them before they were even fully open. The group of people going to the outing were just milling around. No one stared at Ally as she got off the elevator. Being late was a normal thing now.

Ally checked in with Ms. Krum. "Where's your buddy, Austin?" Ms. Krum asked, looking behind her as if he would just come strolling out of the elevator nonchalantly.

"He's— uh. He's not feeling well. I think he must have caught a cold," Ally said, sympathizing with Ms. Krum. The debate teacher nodded. Ally slipped her hands into the arms of her windbreaker.

"Poor thing, it must be this oddly cold weather," Ms. Krum said, shaking her head. "Well, in that case I guess you can tag along with another group." Ms. Krum looked around. "Trish and Jace are standing over there, why don't you go join them."

Ally thanked the heavens. "Alright," she said. God bless; she was tagging along with Trish and not some douche group with a bunch of crackheads.

Ally made her way over to Trish who took her in immediately. "Woah, since when did you start to look like you actually belonged in a gym?"

Ally frowned at her. "I was in a rush," she decided to say. Trish just shrugged. Ally glanced down at her attire. She smelled too much like Austin and the Miami beach.

They were silent for a bit.

"So, where were you yesterday? I thought I texted you that there was sushi down in the buffet," the Latina said. Ally nodded her head.

"Well, I got the sushi," Ally said. "And then I just went back into my room and studied for the rest of the night." No point in telling Trish she had to drag Austin's sorry ass back from a _liquor protest_.

Trish rolled her eyes. "Ew, never mind. If I knew you were studying I wouldn't have asked."

Ally laughed. Suddenly, the group was moving out. Ms. Krum was at the head, looking at directions on her phone. They migrated to the west of the hotel, walking in pairs. Or in Ally's case, trailing behind one.

Ally grunted as the morning air hit her with full force. It was frigid and all she had on was a t-shirt and a flimsy windbreaker.

Ally walked behind Jace, who was a lot taller than her. She sighed contently. Jace was blocking the north wind from hitting her. During times like these, Ally was glad she was short.

Trish had her arm looped around Jace's as the two walked and chatted about things. Ally frowned at their body language.

When they got to a crossroad, Ally still hadn't figured it out yet. She tapped Trish on the shoulder and gently pulled her away from Jace who didn't seem to care that much. He was busy chatting up a storm with Gavin who was ahead of him.

"Ally, what's up?" Trish asked. Ally didn't notice it earlier, but she sure in hell noticed it now. Trish was smiling and twirling her hair with her hand and sighing and looking at the clouds.

"You tell me," she laughed. "You're the one who looks like you've got your head in the clouds."

Trish sighed happily. "Jace and I are going out!"

Ally's jaw dropped. "Oh my gosh, Trish! That's... amazing! Wow!" She said. Clearly, she had been missing out on a chunk of Trish's life. Ally shook her head. She was too absorbed in her own world. "When did that happen?"

The crossroad light turned green.

Trish and Ally began to walk. "Well, after our girls day on Saturday, Jace came up to my suite and was all like, ' _Hey. Trish, wanna hang out sometime?_ '" Trish imitated Jace, making her voice all deep. "And I was like, 'We already hang out so much because of the outings.'"

Ally laughed. Trish was always ready with a feisty comeback.

"And then he was like, ' _Oh, well. Maybe we could hang out some other time, like, not the time of the outings_ ,'" Trish said in her manly voice but failed at the end because she squealed. "And I was like, 'Yeah, sure.' And that's how that happened."

"Wow," Ally said. She was unmoved by Jace's big ask. But Trish made it sound like the entire world just fell at her knees. She was happy for Trish. "That's great! I'm so happy for you. Looks like you're gonna get lucky soon, aye?" Ally said, nudging Trish and winking.

Trish slapped her elbow away and rolled her eyes, albeit Ally could tell she was secretly pleased.

Ally let Trish catch up to Jace and loop their arms again. It was nice seeing her best friend so happy. Ally sighed, how could she have missed that?

She was so absorbed in her own world. With her own boy troubles and her own problems that she didn't even feel slightly moved by Trish's story. She felt indifferent. It was as if she could care less.

Which was an understatement, since she knew Trish was big on romance and fairytale endings. Ally groaned, she was stuck in the middle of her own boy troubles that she couldn't even take time to care about Trish's.

Only fifty people were at the outing. She counted as they walked. The group made it to the most well-known park in all of Vancouver. It was gigantic and just beyond the trees was the coastline.

Ally tried to enjoy the scenery, but every time she took a deep breath of fresh air, all she could smell was the Miami beach and _Austin_. There was something distinctly male about his scent she couldn't recognize, but could only describe as _Austin_. It made her want to lift his shirt up to her nose and take in multiple deep breaths.

It was too late to stop her train of thoughts that were crashing into the station. She thought about the way his hair flopped into his eyes while he slept. Ally suddenly understood why he kept it under a hat all the time.

Although, she wouldn't mind it _not_ being under a hat all the time.

She thought about how tight his grip was around her, like he was holding on for dear life. Ally thought about his nose on her shoulder and his hair tickling the base of her neck and his legs tangled with hers and his scent that was now all over her on top of the fact that she was wearing his shirt and pants and she had used his toothbrush...

Ally snapped her head from side to side. _No!_ She mentally scolded herself. What the fuck was that?

The debate team walked a full circle around the park before heading back to the hotel. It gave everyone the hour of exercise they all needed. Ally, on the other hand, was still sore from running yesterday night.

Ally grumbled at the crossroad. Her legs were killing her and her feet were burning inside of her shoes. She lifted her legs but they were stiff from the cold.

"Ally?" Trish asked from in front of her. "You've barely said anything the entire trip. Not even some smart ass comment about how many trees you've counted," Trish said. The curly-haired girl frowned at her in concern.

Ally waved a hand. "What? Sorry. I'm just... thinking."

Trish rolled her eyes. "Stop thinking so much and just enjoy the view." Trish thought about that before turning back around. "And I don't mean Jace, he's mine."

Ally scoffed. "Wouldn't dream of it."

The debate team walked three more blocks and made it back to the hotel. Ally's legs were officially dead. She was going to hold them a funeral in her bathtub later.

Ally shook her head. She still had a big task in front of her. It had been torubling her the entire time.

She sighed. Ally approached Ms. Krum as the group entered the lobby. "Oh, um. Ms. Krum?" Ally said, changing the tone of her voice to something more innocent.

Ms. Krum turned around. "Ally! What can I do for you, dear?" Ms. Krum said, beaming. She was in a good mood after that walk. This was going better than she had expected.

"I, um— I. I lost my room key. Somewhe— At the park," Ally said, stuttering. "I lost my room key at the park."

Ms. Krum frowned at her. "Oh dear. Were you startled by the sight of those cyclists as well? They move fast!" Ms. Krum shook her head. "Well, I'll get you another key from the front desk. Try to be more careful next time, dear."

Ally sighed with relief. She flashed Ms. Krum an awkward thumbs up. "Will do, Ms. Krum."

Ms. Krum handed Ally her new room key. She thanked the receptionist who didn't seem to phased by the fact that she lost her suite key. Ally rode the elevator up to her floor with a bunch of other people who occupied the same floor as her.

Then she realized that she left her pajamas in the potted plants two floors up.

Ally grumbled, waiting until everyone got out of the elevator before she pressed the ninth floor button. Ally felt anxious.

When the doors slid open, Ally slowly strode to the end of the hallway. Ally was approaching Austin's door. She slowed and hesitated by his door. Should she check up on him? Was his hungover ass doing okay?

Ally thought about what happened when she woke up from her own hangover. Dry throat, red eyes, disoriented memory. She should get him a glass of water, if he wasn't already awake. And maybe some breakfast too, his legs would've been tire—

Ally furrowed her eyebrows. Why did she care?

She strolled past his door and retrieved her things from behind the potted fern at the end of the hallway. She decided to take the stairs that were there so she wouldn't have to walk past his door again.

* * *

Ally took in a whiff of the steaming aroma.

She was reading _Oliver Twist_ and sitting in her bathtub. The lavender scent calmed her senses. She played a soft tune in the background. One of Mozart's concerto pieces.

Ally's phone kept buzzing now and then, interrupting the effects of her book. Ally sighed, placing her book on the counter beside the bathtub and grabbing her phone in exchange.

 _the stars are nice out_

Dan texted her a picture of the sky. He must be outside somewhere, laying on his back on the damp grass. Ally imaged the cool, frigid air surrounding him and he adjusted his glasses and named every star, constellation and planet that he saw.

She was tempted for a second to run outside and see them for herself.

 _judging by the picture it sure looks like it_

 _wish u were here with me to see them_

Ally felt all warm and fuzzy inside as she read his text. Aw, shucks. She felt a tingle start from the tip of her toes and ran all the way to the top of her head.

She was about to reply when her phone vibrated in her hand. Another scenery picture from Dan. This one showed that he drew in the constellation.

 _gemini_

 _really?_

 _no i just connected some dots_

Ally huffed. She placed her phone back on the small counter and picked her book back up. Ally was enjoying herself. The steamy aroma, the story that danced in her head, the feel of the warm water.

After a while, Ally's phone buzzed, once, twice, then three times. Ally frowned, looking at her phone. She picked it up, careful not to get her mobile wet.

Three consecutive texts from Trish. More incoming.

 _ally  
wanna hang or something  
let's watch a movie  
in my suit  
it's already starting so hurry and get your ass over here  
please  
it's a horror film and i don't want to watch alone  
pls_

Ally sighed, texting Trish back.

 _i'll be over in ten  
gotta get changed_

 _omg what happening why do you need to change_

 _TRISH I TOOK A BATH_

 _oh_

Ally rolled her eyes and slowly eased herself out of her bathtub. She wiped the water down with a towel and walked into the main part of her suite. Ally rummaged through her luggage for something to wear.

Trish was probably going to make her stay there until the movie was finished.

Ally grabbed her pajamas. She threw them on and found a dry bathrobe to wear over her sleeping clothes. She wanted to be as comfy as possible while being scared to death by whatever movie Trish was watching.

Ally sighed, grabbing her phone and new suite key before walking out of her rented room. The door clicked shut behind her.

Ally made her way to Trish's suite. Counting all of the thirty-two steps that it took to get there. Ally knocked on the door.

It flung open and she was pulled inside by an arm.

Ally squealed.

"Trish, I know you're watching a scary movie with the lights off and everything but can you at least let me get my shoes off and all before you grip onto my arm for the rest of the night," Ally said sarcastically. Trish clung to her like a leech.

"Okay, but if I let go what if you get replaced by an alien clone? Or you get possessed by a ghost and I'm not sure if you're telling me the truth or not because you're my best friend and you would never lie to me so I'd never know and then—"

Ally groaned.

The movie wasn't _too_ scary. Aside from the part about the little boy getting possessed and the family going paranoid and the creepy lady by the window and the creepy ending that broke into a sequel.

Yeah, totally not scary.

"Trish?" Ally whispered from under the covers. She had them pulled up past her eyes.

"What?" Trish hissed. She was under the other set of covers. The two girls were in Trish's bed, trying to watch the movie because it was pretty cool, but at the same time pretty scary.

"What's happening?" Ally asked. The movie was silent, except for an eerie creaking noise that gave Ally the chills.

"I don't know. I'm not watching. Are you?"

"No, that's why I asked."

Suddenly someone screamed.

Ally and Trish both screamed in unison.

Ally got a text under the covers the moment both of the girls screams died out. Ally was glad she had a distraction and an excuse not to watch the movie. Although, it was getting pretty interesting.

Still wicked-scary though.

Ally checked her texts.

 _hey we should meet up soon  
i know you're really busy but i really want to see you_

Ally blushed. Dan was such a sweetheart. A sweetheart who she met at a party where the lights were too bright and everyone was too sweaty. She thought about that for a second.

What if Dan was one of those party-hard, sweaty guys? Ally shook her head. No. She saw what he looked like. Maybe he was dragged to the party like she was. Ally thought about that for a while before deciding to text him.

 _oh yeah definitely  
hey remember that party where we met_

 _yes it was a good night_

Ally blushed.

 _it was  
aside from the fact that i was dragged to it_

Ally decided to leave out the part about Austin dragging her to the party. It wasn't fitting for the snooping she was doing at the moment.

 _you were dragged to the party?  
that sucks damn  
if it weren't for the fact that i got hauled myself to the party_

Ally smiled. Exactly what she needed to hear.

"Ally?" Trish hissed. Hearing her voice startled her so much that Ally dropped her phone. It made a loud _thud_. "What was that?" Trish's voice was shrill. "Are you watching the movie?"

Ally was scared Trish would check what she was doing so she lifted the duvet cover off her head. "Yeah. I'm watching. It was-" Ally looked at the screen of the TV where the little boy's eyes just—

Ally screamed.

Nope. Nope. Nope. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't even want to remember what she saw.

Nope.

"Oh my god," Ally heard Trish whisper. Ally tried rubbing the image out of her eyes. Nope.

"God, that was the worst. That was the worst thing I've ever seen in my life. I'm so done with this movie," Ally said.

"Don't leave me!" Trish whispered from the under the other cover. Ally squealed out her reply.

"Can't. Too scared to get out under the covers. How long have we been watching for? And when does it end?"

"I don't know!" Trish wailed. "But what do we do after it ends? I'll be too scared to do shit tonight and for the rest of my life."

Ally shrugged even though Trish couldn't see her. Since her phone had stopped buzzing, she assumed Dan stopped texting her. Ally needed to leave. If she stayed any longer, she was going to cry.

She was scared shitless.

"Trish, I'm leaving. I'm so done with this movie right now. This is the last time I'm watching a horror movie. Ever," Ally announced. Trish screamed at her in protest but Ally was already taking the covers off her head.

She made sure she saw none of the TV screen before grabbing her phone and keys and bolting out of Trish's room, slamming the door behind her.

 _Sorry, Trish_.

Ally raced down the hall, her feet thumping on the floor. She realized she had forgotten to get her shoes from Trish's suite. Oh well. She'll have to retrieve them some other day. She was in no mood to return to Trish's room.

The hallway was dimly light as she raced back to her suite. Ally fumbled with the room key before hopping into her suite. She slammed the door behind her, sure that there was someone chasing her.

God, she was paranoid.

Ally's heart pounded. She walked first into the bathroom to check for uh— scary things. And then back out into her suite. The shadows in the corners of the room were scaring her so she turned on every light. The regular suite light, the bathroom light, the vanity set light, the reading light by the chair, the nightstand light, even the huge chandelier hanging from the room.

Alright. Her room looked like heaven.

No stray souls lurking in any corner under Jesus' watch.

Ally sighed. She flopped down onto her bed. Her mind was racing. It's been such a long day. She backtracked everything that had happened in her mind.

That movie, texting with Dan, the nice outing that morning, waking up...

 _Aw, shoot._

Ally shook her head. Nope. Nope. Nope.

 _Nope._

She could still remember the Miami beach and the soft detergent. Ally got up off her bed, only to find herself staring at Austin's shirt and pants.

She almost screamed.

This was even worse than that movie.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Ally's heart began to pound again. _Calm down, it's probably not some possessed person coming to steal my soul. Yeah, Ally, you'll be fine._

Ally straightened out her hair and pajamas before sighing coolly and walking towards her suite door. Sadly, she was too short to see out of the peephole so she had to open the door to figure out who knocked.

She unlocked the door and opened it slowly. Her heart pounding.

"Hey, hi, um, hey. I- uh, I—"

Her heart stopped.

Austin.

"Woah, why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" He laughed. Ally grumbled.

"I watched this scary movie with Trish and now I'm scared of my own reflection," she said sarcastically. Albeit, it was kind of true.

"What else is new?" Austin said, laughing. "You sure you're a match for horror? Seems like—"

His sentence was cut short when she flung the door open wider. "Oh my god. Why is your room brighter than the sun?" Austin groaned, covering his eyes with his hands.

He looked better. He didn't look like he had a hangover but she could see remains of what that alcohol did to him. His eyes were a little red, his hair was messy, his face tired. He changed out of his clothes from yesterday but she could tell it took a lot of effort to do so.

Something was off. She felt _different_ when she looked at him. It was as if she couldn't look him in the eye.

Literally, his hands were covering his entire face.

Ally grabbed his arm and quickly shoved him into her room. She didn't need unwanted ghosts coming into her room. Although, Austin was so pale he might've passed as one.

"Seriously, turn the chandelier off," Austin grumbled, his hands still over his eyes. Ally sighed, but she left the lights on.

"What do you want, Austin?" Ally asked, sitting down on her bed. Austin stood by her door, still trying to open his eyes.

"I want you to turn the lights off so I can _see_ , know-it-all. I don't want to go blind," Austin groaned. Ally sighed, turning off the vanity set lights and the chandelier. She sat back down on her bed. Austin stayed where he was, blinking.

"Okay, now what do you want?" Ally asked. She suddenly realized that she was setting herself up for disaster. Her heart thumped in her chest. He must know that they kind of slept together. _Oh my god._ He obviously came over to talk about it.

 _Shit._

Austin smiled. He leaned against her suite doorframe."Just wanted to drop by and say hey."

Ally nearly fell off her bed. "I covered your hungover ass today. Ms. Krum wanted to know where you were." Three more debaters had been sent home over the last few days because Ms. Krum had found out that they had snuck out and gone to a club. Since then, Ms. Krum had been extra careful, making sure everyone was going to outings and showing up to debates. If not, she was storming up to their suite and pounding on their doors until she saw their faces, enjoying a Happy Meal from McDonalds.

"What'd you tell her?"

"That you were sick."

Austin grinned. "That's 'cause I am _sooo_ sick," he said, making the universal sign for rock and roll with his hand. Ally grumbled.

He swayed on his feet.

"You okay?" Ally asked. "Your drunk ass probably took like nine shots yesterday. Not to mention whatever that stuntman thing you had was."

Austin waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah. Totally fine." Suddenly, something flashed across his face. His eyebrows furrowed and he took in a deep breath. His hand flew to his mouth.

"Don't you dare throw up in my suite," Ally shrieked. Austin gave her a thumbs up, indicating he was fine.

Ally rolled her eyes. "Fine, huh?" She realized that his clothes that she took were out in the open behind her on her bed. She furtively slipped them under her duvet cover.

"Yeah." His reply came out more strained then she expected.

Ally let it slide. "Why are you still here?"

Austin shook his head. "Oh, um. Well." He scratched the back of his neck with his hand. He was wearing a huge snow jacket, fluff on the collar. He wore a simple white t-shirt and black jeans. His shoelaces were untied.

It bugged Ally that his laces were undone. She was kind of a perfectionist.

"I— uh— Remember how I said I _might_ be needing a favour?" Austin asked, looking a little lost. Ally didn't like where this was going.

"Yeah...?" She dragged her answer out.

"I need a favour."

 _Damn it._

Ally braced herself. She stared at his shoes, then his legs, his chest, his shoulders. Finally, she met his eyes. He stared back at her with such intensity, it made the hair at the back of her neck stand up. "What is it?"

"I uh— I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend."

* * *

 **WOAH WOAH WOAH. Whazzza going on?**

 **I think chapter 7, 8 and 9 are my favourites out of the entire thing. Not gonna say much but... ;) Anyway, I'll leave this for all of you to interpret and figure out. I think I'm gonna go enjoy a cup of coffee now. *frog emoji* *coffee emoji* ;)**

 **I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

 _ **i need to get me some vanilla scented candles because damn**_


	9. ix

**HELLO.**

 **I really really really really really like this chapter.**

 **Enjoy! I don't own anything.**

* * *

Ally sighed, not really sure if she should wear flats or heels.

It was the hardest thing she's had to do all day; decide between flats and heels.

She was so indecisive when it came to looking nice. She had such a hard time deciding what to wear. Maybe it was because she realized she liked one thing, but she would look better in the other. Looking nice took so much effort.

 _That's why you don't do it often, right?_

 _Very funny, Trish._

She was wearing her black dress that she was supposed to wear to debate tomorrow. Ally sighed. She had to find something else to wear for her final round the next day.

Ally finished curling her hair and decided to twist it into a low bun near the base of her neck. She used a few bobby pins to stick everything in place. Ally touched up her makeup again. She did something different from her natural routine. It was a little edgier; medium brown eye shadow, more mascara. She even lined her eyes a little more this time.

Ally dabbed a little strawberry-flavoured lip gloss on her lips. She smacked them together before leaving the washroom.

She already accessorized, too. Her black trench coat was going over top the dress. She had brought a black clutch for special occasions. She threw her belongings in there; keys, wallet, phone, a map of the city. Just in case she had to take a cab home.

She had a hunch she was going to have to get a ride from a taxi today.

Ally stared at her four pairs of shoes on the floor. Her boots, Nike's, flats and debate heels. Ally she had to do was choose between the flats and the heels.

That was all she had to do.

Ally sighed. She was running out of time. The reception was starting at six.

Ally decided to take extreme measures. She obviously wasn't going to choose in time. It was already five thirty. Ally closed her eyes and spun around once, twice, thrice.

She thrust her hand out, pointing a finger at empty space as she stopped spinning. Ally opened her eyes slowly.

Flats it was.

Ally was secretly glad with her blind pick. The flats had the same design as her clutch. She never really planned to buy flats that matched her hand-held accessory, but somehow it happened anyway.

Ally quickly slipped on her coat and flats and grabbed her clutch. She looked at herself in the vanity set mirror once before smiling.

 _Fuck, yeah. I look good._

Ally left her suite, closing the door behind her. She heard the little _click_ and turned around, smack into someone's chest.

Her first instinct was to scream because that scary movie she watched with Trish was still lurking around in her thoughts. However, all she did was jerk back. Her recoil was strong enough that her back hit her suite door.

"Geez, who put sugar in your cereal," Austin asked, smirking.

Ally groaned, rubbing the back of her head where she hit the door hard. "I had soup for breakfast." But the conversation was already over.

Ally sighed. She did a once over of Austin, which almost turned into a double take. He wore a crisp black suit with an equally dark tie to accompany it. His shirt underneath was white. He was fixing the cuffs of his sleeves and his pants. The suit made his shoulders seem broader and sharper.

As did all suits.

For once his hair didn't look like hay. It looked pretty nice, to be honest. It wasn't messy and didn't look like dry noodles. It had volume to it and was pushed back from his face.

Ally looked away quickly.

"Ready to go?" Austin asked.

Austin had asked Ally to pretend to be his girlfriend for his cousin's wedding.

 _"What?" Ally exclaimed. "Why_ — _why would you need to lie to your family about having a girlfriend?"_

 _Austin scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I kind of already lied to them a while ago and said that I had a girlfriend," he said sheepishly. "They wouldn't stop bugging me about getting one. Please. It's only for tomorrow night. And I did say I needed a favour."_

 _"But this?"_

 _"Hey, you're the last person I would've came to if I needed a girlfriend," Austin rolled his eyes._

 _"Hey!"_

"Ready when you are," she said. Austin nodded. He led the way to the elevator and pressed the floor to the lobby. Ally fidgeted with her purse. She thought of something to say.

"It's cool how you have cousins in Canada," she said. Ally wanted to get to know more about Austin's family before she met them. She didn't want to make a fool out of herself, after all.

Maybe she should have learned some Canadian phrases to say. Or the proper etiquette while attending a Canadian wedding.

"Yeah. But not as cool as having a mom who lives in Africa," Austin said casually. But then he quickly threw a hand over his mouth. His eyes widened.

Ally whipped her head around. "How did you know that?" Her dad had told her that her mom moved to Africa when she was just a little girl. She never came to visit and never called or anything, but she knew there was a reason to that.

She never told anyone that her mom lived in Africa. Sometimes she would say she was dead because, honestly, she wouldn't even know.

Austin blinked. "You— uh— I. You-you talk in your sleep," he said, looking away. Ally spied the heat rising from his neck to his cheeks. It glowed a delicate pink.

"I— _what?_ " Ally asked. Until she remembered herself. _Oh._

 _Oh._

So he _does_ know.

The elevator doors opened.

Ally walked out first, Austin trailing behind her. There was a cab outside the lobby doors. Austin brushed past her. He held the door open to the cab for her. Ally didn't say anything as she got inside.

The cab ride wasn't too awkward. Especially since she was getting a bunch of nice texts from Elliot. It was sweet. He was looking forward to their date tomorrow. And so was she.

 _okay i was thinking  
aquarium or ice skating?_

 _well i don't know how to ice skate so_

 _aquarium it is_

Ally smiled. She actually did want to learn how to ice skate. It looked fun. But she knew that the process was probably full of embarrassment and awkward fails.

The reception was being held in a rented party hall. There was a church just down the street of that where the actual matrimony was going to take place.

Ally didn't really know what to expect with Austin's cousins. Does she interact with them? Does she talk about her life's achievements? Does she talk about her _boyfriend's_ life achievements?

She wasn't really sure how that last one was going to go.

Austin and Ally approached the front of the church where she could see some people who were obviously related to Austin. It was like a mob of blonds.

"If you're at your cousin's wedding, shouldn't your parents be here, too?" Ally whispered. Austin shrugged, but he didn't answer her question.

They were getting closer and Ally suddenly felt really nervous. She didn't know why. New people made her nervous. It was weird; she was fine talking in front of a crowd when she was at debate. But when it came to new people up close and personal, well.

Some blond heads were turning their way. Ally heard Austin take a deep breath. "Quick, hold my hand," Austin hissed. He sounded insistent.

Ally didn't have time to think. Austin grabbed her increasingly sweaty hand and held it in his own. He slowly intertwined their fingers.

"Austin!"

Ally placed a light smile on her face as a short, blonde woman came walking over to the two. Her heels went _click click click_ on the stony sidewalk pavement. Ally watched and marvelled at how she always managed to step on the even stone and not the sidewalk crack.

The short woman—and Ally meant _short_ because she was even lower in height than Ally herself—sauntered over to the two. She wore a gray suit with a matching skirt. Her heels were shiny, black pumps that were obviously annoying her feet by the angry red that was seething on her skin. Her blonde hair was cut into a sophisticated bob.

"Aunt Ruby," Austin said easily, letting go of Ally's hand and sparing the woman from the last few steps she had to reach them. He bent down as the woman made contact with him. The two relatives hugged each other.

"How are you? How are your parents? Oh, you've grown since the last time I've seen you!" Aunt Ruby clapped her hands together, pleased. She reached over and ruffled Austin's hair, much to his displeasure. Ally held back a laugh.

"I'm fine. Mom and dad are... fine," Austin said. Though he hesitated with the condition of his own parents. He finished fixing his hair. "Aunt Ruby, I'd like you to meet my uh— girlfriend, Ally."

That was her cue. Ally stepped up from behind Austin's shadow and shook the shorter woman's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Ally." The blonde smiled at her, her eyes staring right at Ally's.

"You too," Ally said a little nervously. She was dissatisfied with her answer. She wanted to say Mrs. But Mrs. _what_?

Aunt Ruby seemed to sense her hesitation. "Call me Aunt Ruby."

Ally was mortified but recovered to speak. "Aunt Ruby," she laughed breezily as the woman led the two over to the group of other blonds. Calling this woman _Aunt Ruby_ was the worst. It felt foreign on her tongue _and_ it felt like such a lie.

 _I'm not really your nephew's girlfriend and I really regret doing this but you seem like a nice lady but I still don't feel comfortable calling you Aunt Ruby._

"I'm so glad Austin finally brought you to one of our family occasions! He's always talking about his girlfriend," Aunt Ruby said, nudging Austin. Austin laughed a little too quickly. Ally joined in.

"Is he now?" Ally asked. Her laughter was genuine. Always talking about a pretend girlfriend.

"Oh yes. Though, I kind of imagined his girlfriend to be a little more—"

"Ruby!"

"Coming!"

Ally's smile abruptly disappeared off her face. _A little more what?_ She suddenly felt extremely exposed and insecure. All these eyes staring at her, judging her, watching her every movement.

She watched as Aunt Ruby clicked away.

Austin's hand had found hers again. "Aunt Ruby's the nice one," Austin whispered in her ear.

"The nice one?" Ally whispered back, horrified. "She was staring into my soul and judging me with her eyes."

"Aunt Ruby isn't like that, trust me," Austin said, laughing. Ally nodded, but she didn't exactly _trust_ him.

Austin then introduced her to his forty-seven other relatives who were attending the wedding. Names and faces stuck in her brain. It was all a blur of shiny smiles and bright yellow hair. She was beginning to feel claustrophobic. Her face was tired from smiling.

 _Uncle Brian, George, Shauna, Great-Aunt Harriet, Joe, Betty..._

Finally, she was dragged to the bride and groom.

"Helen, Arnold," Austin addressed the two best-dressed. "This is my girlfriend, Ally," he said, presenting her for the umpteenth time that evening.

"Hi," she said, trying to get her face to smile and cooperate. Her face was extremely sore and tired. She couldn't lift the corner of her mouth without the muscle twitching. The bride actually _hugged_ her. The groom shook her hand. "Congratulations on the marriage, by the way," she said. Was it appropriate to tell a couple that right before their marriage?

"Thank you!" Helen said, enthusiastically. Her blonde hair was extremely pretty, Ally realized. And so was her makeup and hair and body. It made her low bun feel extremely _not_ attractive and her makeup _eh_.

Ally pulled her trench coat tighter around her.

The ceremony was long and tedious. Ally couldn't help but fret over the fact that Aunt Ruby made she and Austin sit near the front, and now the rest of the family was staring at her back, watching her every move.

Although Ally did try to enjoy the reception, she just couldn't. She excused herself halfway through the mass to go to the bathroom. She washed her face, despite all the effort she put in putting on her makeup.

The cool water running down her face felt good.

She carefully wiped off her makeup and just stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. She heard the choir singing from the other side of the bathroom door.

 _Why did I agree to this again?_

 _Dawson, he's helping you with Dan._

 _Okay, but tell me, who even is Dan? And what has he even done in return for you after you saved his ass from getting booted back to Miami the other day? What about when you dragged him back from a club? What has he ever done for you?_

 _Okay, but I'm a good person. And he did need a favour. And-and his family is pretty nice._

 _Then why are you afraid of them judging you?_

 _Because they are!_

There was a knock on the bathroom door. "Ally?"

She didn't answer.

 _Exactly, they're totally judging you and it's all Austin's fault. You could be studying for debate right now, or upcoming exams. Or even just for that test you have the moment you get back._

 _Shut up, brain._

The knock was more urgent. "Ally, the reception is going to end. You've been in the bathroom for forever. Unless you're doing some girl shit in which I guess I totally understand, but— oh god— now _that_ picture is stuck in my head. Aw, shit."

Ally finished reapplying her makeup. It was more natural than what she had on earlier. She felt more comfortable in her own skin then what she attempted earlier, no matter how good it looked.

She flung the door open. Austin was standing right outside. His face changed from _aw, shit_ to concerned when he saw her. "Woah, what happened to you. Why do you look like you just witnessed the extinction of your favourite flowers?"

Ally sighed, shaking her head. "Sorry, I just needed to... get away for a while." Austin's face softened, but then the hard, cocky look in his eyes returned. Maybe she imagined it.

"Okay, but Josie wants to hear you recite the entire second act from _Romeo and Juliet_ ," Austin said, excitedly. He laced their fingers together and dragged her to the main part of the church where his relatives were getting ready to go to the party hall.

"What are your favourite flowers, by the way?" Austin asked casually as they walked side by side. "Are they actually extinct? Is that why you're so sad?"

Ally huffed. "Lilys and orchids. And no, they're not extinct. And no, I'm not sad."

That last one was a lie, if she ever heard one.

The reception in the party hall down the street was loud. It was loud, and bright and a little too sweaty. Why did everything Austin dragged her to have to be filled with sweaty, bright lights.

There were some entertainers who sang while the group ate. Lots of toasts were made during that time too. All of the clinking of the silverware on the porcelain plates and teacups were annoying her.

Austin's arm was on the back of her chair, as should be a boyfriend to a girlfriend, she supposed. Austin kept bugging her that he wanted her to lean into his arm, for effect.

"Austin, I'm not leaning into your arm," Ally said, agitated. "But you can keep it there," she said because she felt bad for him.

"Please? Uncle Bill is staring."

"Well, let him stare then. I don't give a damn."

"Ally," Austin whined. She rolled her eyes at him. She spied him making his puppy dog eyes at her, the pout included. Ally looked away. She was _not_ leaning into his arm.

"Isn't it _Know-It-Ally_? Wouldn't you want your family to know the great nickname you give your _girlfriend_?" Ally asked, glaring at him. Austin's eyes widened.

Aunt Ruby was suddenly walking over to them. In a flash, a movement clearly controlled by reflexes, she was nuzzled into his arm that Austin left on her chair. That woman scared her.

"Ah, you two are so adorable," Aunt Ruby said. She tapped Austin on the head and proceeded to where she needed to go.

Ally instantly leaned out of his grasp. "Geez," Ally mumbled to herself. Austin frowned at her.

"You're acting weird," he said. "What's up?"

Ally sighed. "It's nothing."

"Then act like it's nothing. You're making such a big deal out of this. Stop frowning and smile," Austin said. Ally was incredulous.

"Excuse me? I'm making a big deal out of this? You're the one who _lied_ to your entire family about having a girlfriend," Ally said, turning around to face him. Austin just shrugged.

"A favour is a favour."

"That doesn't mean I have to do a good job now, does it?" Ally asked, pouting sarcastically. Austin frowned at her.

Suddenly the entertainers that were singing began a new song. "This one's a good one if you want to get grooving!" The lead singer yelled into the mic. Instantly, a bunch of Austin's relatives got up on their feet and moved to the space that was reserved solely for dancing.

She watched as his relatives moved to the beat. They were incredible dancers. Must run in the family.

Ally's phone vibrated in her clutch. She checked it just as Austin was standing up, grabbing her arm. "Give me a minute."

 _okay so after the aquarium, i was thinking about a walk through the city  
you know, so you could explore more of it_

 _oh yeah, i'd definitely like that_

Elliot was thinking about their date. How sweet. It made Ally blush.

"Ally," Austin said. "C'mon, I wanna dance!" His hand was grabbing her arm. She slipped her phone back into her black clutch quickly.

"Alright, alright. Slow down," she said. She stumbled a bit as he raced to the dance floor, dragging her behind him. Ally's foot caught someone else's and she nearly took a tumble if it weren't for Austin.

" _Slow down_ ," he mimicked her. Ally stuck her tongue out at him. The song was pretty upbeat. And Ally did not in any way know how to dance to an upbeat song.

She was kind of just awkwardly squatting up and down, moving from side to side. She felt extremely self conscious. And annoyed. Elliot was about to text her back until Austin dragged her out here.

Ally spotted two of Austin's younger cousins staring and whispering, pointing their fingers at her. They snickered. That was enough for Ally to stop doing whatever she was doing. She felt an embarrassed blush rise to her cheeks.

Ally quickly walked off the dance floor. "Ally? Where're you going?" Austin asked, grabbing her arm and pulled her back to him. She spun around so fast that she hit his chest.

Ally felt completely destroyed at that point. "I don't know how to dance and your cousins are laughing at me and I really want to leave and Elliot's texting me," she said, mumbling the last part. His arm circled her waist.

"Aw, poor you," he said sarcastically. "It's not my fault you don't know how to dance," Austin said, leaning in closer. He tipped his head to the side.

Ally rolled her eyes at him. "You could at least be a little more sympathetic to the person acting as your girlfriend."

"You could at least be a little more sympathetic to the person who's at his cousin's wedding without his parents because they don't even like their own family," Austin said. Ally didn't exactly hear the last part of his sentence.

She rubbed her forehead with her hand. "Austin, I'm tired. Can we go?"

"Ally! Stop whining so much. You agreed to this. If I knew you were going to be such a whiny little baby, I would've asked someone else to be my girlfriend," Austin said, rolling his eyes.

Ally jerked out of his grip. " _I'm_ acting whiny? Your ass is _this_ close to being disowned by your own family because you _lied_ to them. You're the one acting like it's all smooth sailing when really death's right on your tail."

Austin rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Enlighten me, know-it-all. What act of _Romeo and Juliet_ was that from?"

Ally felt tears rise to her eyes. He's never been this mean to her before. She felt like a freshman again, about to cry her eyes out the moment she got home from the day they stuck pads on her locker.

Sure, he's always been an asshole. But Ally thought, after... everything that happened recently—

Actually, she didn't really know what she was thinking.

"Hey, you two! The dance floor is for dancing only! Get those feet moving!" Aunt Ruby called. Austin and Ally both smiled at the woman.

"Come on, Ally. Please act like you want to be here," Austin said. "It's only for tonight. And this is the only favour you owe me, come on."

"Only favour I owe you? What about all the favours _you_ owe _me_? How many favours have I done for you?" Ally said exasperated. She was holding back the waterfall that was about to cascade from behind her eyes. "I agreed to go to that party with you that night. I had to sacrifice studying time to go to something cultural with you. I had to drag your ass back from a club at eleven at night. I had to cover for your hungover ass."

"Okay, okay. _Maybe_ I'm not the best with math when it comes to favours, but Ally, this is important."

Was he really that selfish? If this was important to him he would at least have the decency to treat her with a little respect. "Forget it, Austin." Ally said, wiping the corner of her eye as she turned around. "I'm leaving."

"Ally, pleas—"

There was suddenly the deafening noise of a silver spoon being smashed against a wine glass. "Alright everyone. I think it's about time the newlyweds cut the cake! Don't you think?" Aunt Ruby asked. Agreements rose from every corner of the reception hall.

Ally was soon pushed back into Austin's direction as everyone got back to their seats. Austin in turn, wrapped his arm around her waist and wouldn't let go. No matter how hard she protested. Ally was glaring daggers into Austin's skull.

"Stay for the cake, I promise we'll leave after," he murmured into her ear, rubbing gently up and down her side. Ally shivered, but didn't protest.

She did like cake.

Austin and Ally sat back down in their seats, respectively and watched as the newly married couple began to cut the cake. Ally liked watching this. She always waited to see if the bride or groom was going to shove cake in their significant other's face.

Ally's phone buzzed inside her clutch that was hanging by her thigh. She quickly flipped the top off and checked her texts.

Elliot.

 _have you seen the contemporary art gallery yet? it's amazing_

 _oh yeah i did actually my favourite exhibit is the one with the lamps_

 _i bet i could build better lamps with my glue gun_

 _i bet i could built better lamps than you_

 _is that a challenge_

"Psst. Ally, put your phone down," Austin whispered, annoyed. Ally raised her head. Eyes were looking their way. Embarrassed, Ally turned her phone off and placed it in her lap.

Cake was being passed around and Ally's phone was buzzing non-stop in her lap. She was extremely embarrassed. One of Austin's uncles who was sitting on the other side of her kept staring distastefully at her.

Her phone was still vibrating in her lap.

Austin let out a sigh. "Ally."

"What?" She hissed back.

 _yeah  
good thing it's not a basket weaving contest or i'd for sure lose_

"Stop," Austin said, aggravated. "Or at least turn your phone off."

 _how are you sure you're not going to lose this time around as well?_

"We're just having cake then leaving, right? No big deal. I don't think I need to turn my phone off," Ally said. She was actually enjoying Elliot's flirty banter. It was lightening her mood.

The cake was being passed around by Aunt Ruby. If Ally wasn't listening to the short woman, she might have missed it.

"What's up with your Ally? Looks like she can't put that phone down."

Ally heard the fake enthusiasm in Austin's voice. "She just... texting her friends. Yup, she's enjoying it so much she's just _dying_ to tell them," Austin said. She felt his grip on her tighten. "Isn't that right, baby?"

 _Baby?_ Ally mentally gagged.

She turned around. "Oh yeah! My friend Trish _really_ loves weddings! Just telling her all about it!" Ally said, enthusiastically. Aunt Ruby smiled and passed them their cake. She let out a sigh as the woman walked away.

 _because i got a glue gun_

 _oh please_

"Fuck it, Ally. Can you put your phone away for one second and act like you enjoy the goddamn cake?" Austin asked. He was even angrier than she had been earlier in the evening.

Ally groaned, grabbing her fork and stabbing the piece of cake with it. She shoved it in her mouth and stuck her full tongue out at him. "Hapfy?" She asked, mouth full of wedding cake.

"Yes, actually," Austin said.

"Why aren't you eating any?"

"Because I'm not the one bitching about wanting to leave. And I don't like lemon cake," Austin said, wrinkling his nose at the small piece of dessert in front of him.

"If I'm eating cake, you're eating cake," Ally said. She was done with his attitude at this point that her _own_ attitude was beginning to come out. God, Austin made the worst come out of her.

"Haha, that's funny, _sweetie_ ," Austin said, rubbing her back suddenly as Josie and Harriet walked by. Ally smiled at him.

"Well, pucker up because it's about to get a lot more sour, _honey_."

"Wait, wha—"

Ally pushed Austin's head into his plate of lemon cake. There was a sudden silence before a round of laughter erupted from every which way of the reception hall.

"Ally!" Austin exclaimed. He wiped the frosting from his eyes, flicking them off to the side. Ally grinned wickedly at him as laughter boomed from even Uncle Bobby who didn't even smile.

"How's that lemon cake?" She asked sweetly. Austin groaned. He still had the remains of his smashed cake on his face. He didn't bother wiping it off at all. Ally laughed. Austin turned his eyes on her, glaring. They wandered over to her cake plate.

Austin inched closer, suddenly. He slid from his chair, almost all the way over to hers. His arm was on the back of her chair. Ally was suddenly frightened. What was he doing? "Austin."

"Ally."

"Wha-what are you doing, sweetie?" She asked, smiling nervously as Aunt Ruby snapped a picture of the two, smiling.

"You know," Austin started. "Normally I don't like lemon cake, but this isn't half bad," he said, licking his lips. "Thanks."

"Oh-oh yeah. No problem!" Ally said, placing a hand on his chest now to stop him from moving closer.

"I should return the favour."

"No, it's fine reall—"

Austin smashed Ally's plate of cake in her face. Ally nearly flailed out of her seat at that point. She had already retreated to the edge of it when Austin slid in closer. More laughter erupted from Austin's relatives.

"They're so adorable!"

"This is quality entertainment!"

"Austin!" Ally shrieked. She gasped, wiping the cake from her eyes. Austin was grinning at her, the plate still in his hand. He laughed when he saw her face. Austin placed the plate back on the table.

"How's that lemon cake?" Austin asked, sucking frosting off his fingers.

Ally blew steam out of her ears. "I'm gonna get you, asshole."

"Language!" Austin laughed. The smile disappeared from his face as she came charging at him. Luckily he stood up at the exactly time, so she wouldn't have gone barrelling into the table and chairs. Unluckily, _well_ if she were Austin that would be exactly what she was thinking.

Ally tackled him down the second he stood up from his chair. The two hit the carpeted floor as Ally heard a hoot come from somewhere in the room.

Austin tried rolling away from her, but she knew better. Ally firmly set both of her feet on either side of his body. She didn't exactly care about her dignity or pride at this point. She plopped down on his stomach.

" _Oomph_."

Ally leaned in close. "Asshole," she whispered at him, pointing a finger at his chest. "You're an asshole."

Austin pouted innocently. Ally realized she was about to have some massive déjà vu. She knew what was going to happen before it even did.

Two quick moves was all it took. Just like back in Science World, Austin was suddenly hovering over her, his body weight pressing hers firmly into the ground of the reception hall. Ally groaned. She didn't really understood how this happened.

 _This_ usually ended with some firm scolding by an adult.

And there were plenty of those around.

Austin smirked at her, the lemon cake still all over his face.

"Asshole," Ally whispered. Austin was still smirking. That is, until he realized the position they were in. With his hair now flopping into his eyes and onto her cheeks. And her legs firmly secured under his.

Austin licked his lips, his eyes flickering. They became a lovely shade of _dark_.

Ally suddenly couldn't remember what she was doing earlier. Why was she on the ground? Why was Austin leaning over her? Wasn't she mad at him?

Wasn't she?

Austin, eyes locked with hers, pushed a loose piece of hair from her face and put it behind her ear gently. He trailed his finger down the frosting on her face, lifting it to his mouth, tantalizingly. She could feel his breath on her face. He leaned in closer, eyes fluttering close, and then seemed to think about it and leaned back out.

Ally's heart thumped in her chest. Her mind was racing frantically.

 _Is he_ — _?_

 _Are we_ — _?_

 _Does he want to_ — _?_

 _Do_ I _want to_ — _?_

And then Austin Moon was kissing her.

It was gentle at first, so achingly soft that she couldn't believe kisses could be like that. Ally sighed. She didn't let her mind go beyond what was happening. She didn't want to decide if this was right or wrong. She just wanted to let Austin kiss her.

Alarms were going off in her brain the exact moment she thought that.

And then the kiss got more aggressive. The kind of aggressive that left Ally gasping for breath and wanting more. His mouth opened and closed around lip, at a feverish pace. Her hands were gripping his suit coat, her fingers digging into his sides. His hands cupped her face, rubbing slow, tantalizing circles on her cheeks .

Austin's mouth worked miracles. His left hand trailed from her cheek to her arm, rubbing up and down before it traveled even _further down_. Ally gasped as his hand hovered over her bare leg. She anticipated the electric in his touch.

He seemed to gain some self control at that moment, much to Ally's disappointment.

Austin's tongue gently traced her lip, licking off the lemon cake. Ally, in turn, parted her lips and he let it slowly venture into her open mouth. He wasn't like Dallas who in ninth grade shoved his tongue down her throat the first chance he got.

Ally was having a hard time breathing. Austin tasted like lemon cake and maple gum. He smelled like sweat and Miami and-and—

It seemed like hours until Austin finally pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers. Ally opened her eyes slowly. She knew the inevitable was coming. _Who the hell taught you to kiss like that?_ "Sorry for being an asshole," he whispered.

"Well, goddamn!" Uncle Joe hooted. The entire revenue burst into cheers and hoots. Ally felt a blush rise to her cheeks.

"You go, Austin!"

"Get a room you two!"

"I thought this was my wedding!"

Ally decided that was as close as she could get to authentic maple syrup.

* * *

9:45pm.

Ally was completely and utterly drained.

The only thing that was still happening was the entertainment. It was getting good. The classical band really upped their game. Everyone was now milling around, chatting and talking. The catering service had helped to clean up the leftover _everything_. Aunt Ruby did most of the work.

Some people had already gone home. It was only the relatives that wanted to talk to the married couple or who volunteered to stay and help cleaning up that were left.

Ally was snuggled cozily into Austin's side, his arm over her shoulder. His coat jacket was draped over her shoulders. Unfortunately, when she tackled the blond to the ground, the vibration sent her trench coat flying into her plate of cake.

She was too tired to count the number of times she had been embarrassed that evening alone.

Curfew was slowly creeping up on the two, but Ally knew the cab was on its way to pick her and Austin up.

She was so tired, she couldn't even keep her eyes open. Ally sighed, thinking about her debate tomorrow, then quickly pushed that thought out of her mind. If she thought anymore, she was going to explode.

Ally yawned. She turned her head away from the world and into Austin's warm chest. They were still playing boyfriend and girlfriend, right? This was obviously appropriate behaviour.

Austin's arm shook her shoulder. "Tired?"

Ally groaned, rubbing her nose against his side. She yawned again. "Beyond."

Austin laughed softly. "The cab should be here soon. Called like, ten minutes ago."

Right when Austin said that, Ally had received a confirmation text that the cab was indeed right outside the door of the party hall. Austin and Ally both stood up. Ally walked a little ahead of Austin, the blond hanging back a little to bid everyone farewell. He did, after all, only got to see his family on special occasions.

Despite having a few glasses of wine, Ally felt fine. _Fine_.

If fine meant a little fuzzy and warm and confused and tired then she was definitely it.

Ally got into the cab first, shivering because she left the door open for him. She pulled Austin's suit coat tighter around her, yawning and leaning her head against the headrest.

"—Yeah, yeah! Yeah. Yeah, okay. Bye!" Austin hopped into the cab and slammed the door shut. Ally's eyes were closed but she felt a soft fabric nudge her arm.

She opened an eye. "Your coat," Austin said, handing Ally her trench coat. Ally nodded her head in gratitude, but went back to half-sleeping.

It sucked, being so short that her head barely reached the headrest. Ally was stuck resting her head against the actual seat itself, the top of her head squashed under the headrest. It was uncomfortable and annoying, especially when the driver sped up and stopped suddenly.

Ally twisted and turned in the seat, trying to get comfortable. Ally sighed, her eyes flying open as the driver stopped abruptly.

Ally stole a quick glance at Austin. He was staring at her. But not at her eyes, just, _her_ in general.

His hair had become messy, but was still in the position that he gelled it to be. It shone platinum in the moonlight. The top button of his shirt was undone, the tie coming loose around his neck. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled to his elbows. Ally took extra time to admire his big hands, the veins popping on his skin.

The cab started suddenly. The force knocked the wind out of her, pushing Ally against the seat. She groaned and mumbled a curse.

She heard a low chuckle come from Austin. He mumbled something she couldn't make out. Ally gave him a side glance. Austin opened his arm and placed it on the headrest between them on the connected backseat. "C'mere."

Something came over her, and she felt obliged to move. Ally quickly took the seatbelt off and shifted to the middle seat between them, putting the seatbelt back on. She sighed, closing her eyes and leaning into Austin's side again. She liked that she could hear his heartbeat.

The rest of the ride was silent, but not in an awkward way. However, that meant that she was alone with her thoughts while Austin gently stroked her arm over his suit coat.

 _This means nothing._ It was still night time. Austin wanted her to be his girlfriend for the entire night, right? Only until it ended. She was still his pretend girlfriend. She was still supposed to act like his girlfriend.

 _"Only until, maybe like, ten?" Austin said. "Just right when curfew starts you can be mad at me and kick my ass again."_

Ally was starting to regret her third glass of wine.

The cab arrived at the front of the hotel. Ally lifted her head, her eyes barely open. Austin helped her out of the cab and thanked the driver, tipping him with the rest of his change.

When they got in the elevator, Ally remembered why she was so warm. She quickly slipped the suit coat off her shoulders. "Your coat," she mimicked him from earlier, but really didn't mean to.

"Thanks," Austin said, slipping it over his own shoulders as the elevator opened at her floor. Ally thought he would stay in the elevator so he could get to his floor but he surprisingly followed her out. Ally's heart began to thump in her chest. "I'll walk you to your suite," he said in a low voice. It was nearly ten.

Her suite door greeted the two. Austin got there first so he just waited for her to walk to her door. He was standing right in front of her door. Ally looked at his face and Austin met her eyes. Face-to-face. For the first time since... since they... they _kissed_.

Ally swallowed.

They switched places, Ally in front of her door and Austin towards the outside now. His hands were in his pockets. He looked nervous.

"I had a good time," Ally said because she didn't know what else to say. The dim lights in the hallway flickered for a moment.

"Maybe for the last hour," Austin chuckled. "You wanted to leave for the other three."

"Right."

The two both laughed lightly again. Ally watched as Austin suddenly took his hands out of his pockets. He stepped closer to her. Her back hit the suite door.

"Well," he said, licking his lips. Austin stepped even closer to her, his face only an inch or two away from hers. His eyes flickered from her eyes to her mouth and back to her eyes again.

Ally was beginning to have breathing problems again. She watched his eyes and then his mouth and then his eyes again. She was _oh so_ tired.

Austin licked his lips again. He cupped her chin with one hand, lifting it to his face. He stared at her eyes for a good four seconds. She didn't breathe for any of those four. "Goodnight, Ally."

Austin fitted his mouth to hers. He kissed her gently.

Ally sighed, melting against the door. She felt a tingle that started at the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She leaned into his touch, his body. But just as she was beginning to emerge from the confusion and shock, Austin was gone.

Ally blinked, opening her eyes. That was part of the pretend girlfriend job right? _Only until, maybe like, ten?_

Ally opened the door to her suite and plopped down onto her bag. She took her phone out of her bag and checked the time.

10:02pm.

* * *

 **I think you really really really really really like this chapter too.**

 **Yay! You finally got to read the climax of the story! Or is it the climax? :o *X-Files theme plays* hehehEHehEHhehEHe. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Maybe you're missing a big piece of the picture here...**

 **Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review and eXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS. thx.**

 _ **strawberry and lemon cake might be my new favourite thing**_


	10. x

**Hello from the dark side.**

 **Before you proceed to this chapter, I'd just like to clear a few things up. First, the pretend relationship that Austin requested from Ally was merely for his cousin's wedding. Second, have you been paying attention?**

 **Enjoy this chapter! I don't own anything.**

* * *

Ally licked her lips.

Trish already had to tell her to wake up twice.

She wasn't asleep, no. Ally was... thinking. She was angry and confused and was up all night. She sat now, in her proper attire, on a plastic chair in the auditorium at the debating place. She was nervous and couldn't focus her thoughts on anything at all.

Well, anything except _Austin_.

Ally was mad at Austin. She was _so_ mad at Austin. She was mad, confused and a little hurt because of Austin actually.

She didn't know why.

Ally sighed, fidgeting with her fingers and the hem of her blazer. She was so nervous. Her mind was racing. She was up next for debate, about to talk about a topic she had no clue about and only have five minutes alone with her thoughts to process her ideas.

Trish was sitting next to her, reading a news article on her phone. She kept frowning and scrolling with her finger. Ally glanced at the Latina. "What's that?"

"Just some fashion crisis in Japan," Trish said, her eyebrows furrowed. Ally rolled her eyes. Of course it was a _fashion crisis_. Ally sighed, wiping the sweat on her palms off and onto her skirt.

She never felt giddy and skittish about debating before, why was this time any different?

Ally tried listening to the debate on the central stage, but her mind kept wandering back to last night, no matter how hard she didn't want it to. She willed herself to think about something else. Ally craned her neck to check the time, when she spotted a certain brown-haired, broad-shouldered guy.

Elliot.

Ally blinked. She didn't feel nervous when she looked at him at all. She almost seemed to feel _nothing_ at all. It was as if the butterflies in her stomach dropped dead when they saw Elliot.

It was weird.

She didn't like dead butterflies.

What was even weirder was that he was at the debate complex on her day. He usually didn't show his face other than to do his own debate. If Ally wasn't nervous before, she was now. Now Elliot was watching her in the crowd. She had to do good.

And they had their date later.

However, the butterflies were still dead.

Ally sighed, her head still swimming. She barely got any sleep the night before, her thoughts not letting her get a sliver of sleep until she saw daylight stream through her curtains at seven in the morning. She was dead inside; physically and mentally drained.

She blamed the wine she had yesterday.

Ally wanted someone to talk to. But she had no one. She couldn't even talk to Trish because all Trish yapped about was Jace and fashion.

Ally almost didn't hear her name, which they called _twice_. Ally abruptly stood up and awkwardly made her way to the stage where her competition was already waiting.

The guy was short. Four feet eleven, probably. He wore his dark brown hair in a close crop near his scalp, his suit was pressed flat, his tie was tied evenly. There wasn't even a wrinkle on his suit pants. His shoes reflected her face, which Ally probably hissed at.

The guy gave her a quick glance before looking away almost in _disgust_.

Ally felt nervous when she looked at the guy. He was strange. Strange made Ally feel anxious. She didn't usually judge people on a first glance, but he _was_ her competition this round, and she was sizing him up.

Which was hard. She wasn't used to being the taller one.

"You're topic is _should animal testing be banned_? Mr. Ethan Wicker will be for and Ms. Ally Dawson will be against."

Ally blinked. Against?

What a funny word. Against. _Aye-gencest. Or is it uh-genst? Aye-gencest. Uh-genst. Aye-gencest. Uh-genst._

Against. That was like. A bike _against_ a fence. A magnet _against_ the fridge. Someone _against_ the door. Shoes _against_ the floor.

Against the floor.

Like when Austin had her pinned to the floor of the party hall of his cousin's wedding after shoving a plate of cake in her face and he...he...

Ally shook her head. _No._ She would not, _could_ not think about that. She needed to focus. This was a debate she was at. Her final debate. There were probably college scouts lurking in some of the chairs. She needed to do the best job she can do.

Ally frowned. Her school probably wasn't going to win the debates, but there were individual standings for individuals who have done well in the debates.

 _Too bad Austin isn't here he's actually pretty good at debate, I wonder what kind of scholarship he'd like to get. Of course if it wasn't debate it'd be something stupid like basketball or something else, maybe like_ _—_

"Ms. Dawson? You have five seconds left to present your rebuttal."

Ally blinked. Five seconds?

She hadn't even thought of her points or her flow of speech. Her mind scrambled for answers. Why _shouldn't_ animal testing be banned?

"To counteract your point," Ally addressed the guy and the audience. The guy looked bored, shifting his weight from one foot to the other behind the stand. Ally swallowed. "I believe animal testing _shouldn't_ be banned because..." Ally dragged out her answer, wracking her brain for a reason.

 _It shouldn't be banned because then how would they test gum for allergies?_

 _You idiot, they don't test_ gum _on animals._

 _What do they test on animals then?_

 _I don't know._

 _Thanks a lot._

Ally gripped the podium so hard her knuckles turned white. She said the first thing that came to mind. It was a weak response. "Then it would have to be tested on _humans_ which would be even worse."

Ally swore she heard the opposition _snort_.

It was going to be a long morning.

* * *

 _austin isn't into you_

 _Thanks, Piper._

Ally stormed into her suite, flinging off her coat jacket and shoes. Her shoes hit the wall beside the door, her jacket hit the floor with a thud of fabric.

Ally groaned, running her hands through her hair and just messing up the bun she had only perfected a few hours earlier. Ally took off the elastic, flinging it across the room somewhere, hoping she wouldn't find it later.

Ally looked at herself in the vanity mirror set for two seconds before rubbing her eyes, letting her hands run down her cheeks. She groaned out loud.

Debate was fucking horrible.

Not only did she _lose_ that round— which she never _ever_ does— Ally also didn't rack up enough points to be ranked for the best debaters of the competition. The ten slots were already filled. You'd have to get a higher score than someone else if you wanted to knock them off the list.

Ally groaned, flopping down onto her bed, face-first. Her head swarmed with thoughts that she did not want. If she could sell her soul to banish exactly what she was thinking, she would.

This was all Austin's fault.

Every single, itty-bitty piece of it was Austin's fault.

 _What'd he do, Dawson?_

 _He's ruining my life._

 _What else is new?_

Ally frowned at her covers. _What else_ is _new?_ It's not like Austin hadn't tormented her since the beginning of her social life at high school before. It was all the same. She still hated his guts. He still somehow wormed his way into her life and topped the reason she hated him before with a _new_ reason.

But if that was the case, why did she feel so, _different_?

He didn't do anything recently that made her want to put poison into his drink, so why oh why could she not get him out of her mind?

She had an answer for that, of course— she had an answer for everything. But she really, _really_ didn't want to admit to the nagging voice at the back of her head. It was constantly chanting three words that she really, _really_ couldn't believe would be present in a sentence like that.

Ally's phone buzzed.

She lifted her head from the duvet, finding her phone on the nightstand. Ally wiped the screen with her thumb as she checked the only text she got.

 _hey i'm just hanging out in the lobby come down when you're ready for our date!_

 _Wow, someone sure is enthusiastic_. And early. Way too early. Their date was supposed to be at 4:30pm.

 _i'll be down in a few_

Just as she texted that, Ally felt the butterflies resurface. They began to flutter in her stomach, making her feel giddy and excited. Fuck yeah, she was going on a second date with her _crush_. It was going to be great.

If the first date was all proper and nice, the second must be fun and light.

Ally was suddenly hyped. _Yes, this is going to be fun!_

 _It'll get your mind off of things._

 _Shut up._

Ally quickly threw on the outfit she had prepared since their last date. A cute blue shirt with frills on the shoulders and the hem and a patch of missing fabric that showed just a little of her middle back. She topped that off with a pair of black pants with zippers on the side to indicate the pockets. Her choice of footwear was her black flats.

As Ally threw her hair into a ponytail, she felt a tingle start from the bottom of her toes to the top of her head. She was so excited!

Ally grabbed her brown book bag and shoved her necessities in there; phone, map of the city, extra lip gloss, room key.

She slammed the door to her suite and hopped in the elevator just as it was closing. Ally sighed, breathing in and out, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat. It wasn't rapid because of Elliot, no. It was trying to compensate for all the tasks she just completed.

The lobby was packed with people. Ally shoved her way to the buffet, looking for Elliot and deciding to grab a bite of brunch before heading out, too.

Ally made her way to her favourite corner table, only to found it already taken by a couple of old women knitting. She smiled politely at them before looking for an unoccupied seat. She struck gold when she found one wedged between a window seat that was not vacant and another one that was empty.

Ally sat down, pulling out her water bottle and chugging a big gulp. She took such a big gulp that she finished the bottle. Ally tossed it into the bottle recycling.

She decided to wait until the brunch line died down before grabbing a bite. She was hoping to snatch something before Elliot came and found her in the dense crowd.

Ally stared out the window, looking past the occupied window seat when suddenly a shadow loomed over her. Ally craned her head back.

"Hey, Ally!" Elliot said, giving her that dazzling smile that made her heart melt on the spot. Ally blushed, though she probably didn't mean to.

"Hi!" She said, equally cheerful.

"I saw you at debate this morning," they both said at the exact same time. Ally waited for Elliot's explanation.

"I couldn't wait to see you," he explained. "So I just decided to catch a glimpse of your debate before our date."

"Aww," Ally said. She heard a muffled noise that was suddenly overpowering their conversation. Ally blamed the buffet line. The noise soon died down. Ally cleared her throat, suddenly remembering how _awful_ her debate was.

Apparently, Elliot didn't care. "Ready to go?"

Ally prepared to nod her head vigorously when suddenly a flash of fabric blinded her vision. She felt a weight knock the wind out of her from the side. Ally let out an _oomph_.

"Woah, hey buddy."

Austin Moon.

Ally froze. She turned her head to her left. Somehow, Austin had wedged himself between her and the person sitting by the window seat without waking them up. His arm was around her shoulder, which almost felt familiar after yesterday.

Ally flung his arm off quickly, stealing a glance at Elliot. Her heart fluttered. Austin frowned. He turned his mischievous brown eyes on her. Her heartbeat increased. "Whatcha up to?"

Luckily, Elliot stepped in. "Actually, Ally and I were about to head out on a—"

"An adventure? What fun!" Austin said, enthusiastically. He leaned back against the chair and spread his arms out. Ally wanted to smack him in the head. _It's a date, you idiot._ "Mind if I tag along?"

Now, Ally _really_ wanted to smack him in the head. She blew some steam, leaving this to Elliot. _It was totally your call,_ she said with her eyes to the brown-haired boy, _but I'd rather not_.

Elliot seemed hesitant. _God bless._

"Ah, it's not problem if I can't," Austin said nonchalantly, breaking the silence. He fidgeted with his fingers. He looked at Elliot, right in the eye. Tension seemed to crackle in the air and Ally wondered if Elliot and Austin knew each other better than they let on. "I mean, I'm Ally's assigned buddy and all and where one buddy goes, both go, but it's fine. You can take her off my hands for the afternoon. Yeah, Ms. Krum won't get too ma—"

Something crossed on Elliot's face. "Oh, no. No. No. Yeah, yeah. It's fine if you tag along man. We were going to the aquarium downtown and staring at fish anyway. Yeah, totally. You can come along," Elliot said, totally cool. "Best get going though, the rush starts at three."

"Wonderful," Austin said, almost smugly.

Ally groaned audibly as she helped herself up from her seat. Austin stood up behind her. Ally swallowed, suddenly a little _nervous_.

"Can't you take a hint?" Ally hissed at him. She just really wanted to clear things up and go on her date with Elliot. She didn't need _Austin_ hanging around her. Especially not now.

Elliot walked a few steps in front of the two, whistling and twirling his keys around his fingers.

"A hint at what, know-it-all?" Austin asked. His face was blank, showing no signs of knowing at all. He blew a piece of hair out of his face. Ally grumbled because she found that distracting.

"This isn't an adventure, you idiot. It's a _date_ ," she said exasperatedly. Austin frowned at, tipping his head to the side innocently. His lower lip came out in a pout.

"Gee, I had no idea," he said pretend-sheepishly. "I just wanted to hang out with my best buddy and Ell-id— I mean Elliot," Austin said, smiling. Ally balled her hands up into fists. Austin's smile showed his two boyish dimples. Ally just shook her head.

"Why can't you just leave us alone?" Ally asked. Although that wasn't the question that was burning a hole in the back of her mind. She willed her tongue to keep quiet.

Austin shook his head. "But who'll supervise your date? Wouldn't want things getting out of hand now, would you?" He grinned at her. The cocky, lazy look was back on his face. Ally rolled her eyes.

Ugh.

"Supervision won't be necessary, thanks bud," she said. "Although, I couldn't say the same for you," she added sarcastically. Austin shook his head, she could hear his dog tag necklace slap against his chest with every movement.

"Aw, come on, don't be like that," Austin said. Then, he took his phone out of his pocket and stared at it while walking. Ally clenched her fist.

Why was he acting like such a dick? The sun wasn't even up yet.

The three walked to Elliot's car parked around the block this time, as the front of the hotel was occupied by other cars. Ally trailed behind Elliot a bit, who was in front. She almost matched Austin's stride, who was tailing behind her by a few steps. She grumbled.

Ally ended up in the shotgun seat of Elliot's car with her buddy Austin in the backseat. Ally wasn't happy. Not in the slightest.

She glanced at the side view mirror outside of Elliot's car. It reflected Austin in the backseat, his legs crossed, his nose buried in his phone. She surveyed his appearance as best as she could in the mirror. Dark blue plaid shirt, black jeans, a black baseball cap.

Ally's heart thumped in her chest as she looked at him a while longer. She couldn't sleep the night before. And it was all Austin's doing.

All night she squirmed in bed. She did manage to get some shut-eye, but even then Austin followed her into her dreams. It was a restless night full of things she probably would have to confess at church sooner or later.

She woke up that morning extremely _bothered_ and _angry_.

Elliot pulled into the parking lot of the aquarium. The entire twenty-five minute car ride was a silent as a cemetery at night.

Ally watched as Elliot got out of the car at the exact same time Austin did. Austin brushed off his jeans as Elliot walked to the side of her car door. Both laid their hands on the handle of her door at the exact same time.

Ally slunk down in her seat.

Austin grunted and cleared his throat, moving his hand away from the door and shoved it in his jean pocket. He turned away, an easy-to-miss scowl on his face. Elliot, still smiling, opened the door and helped her out of his car.

The three waited in line, the weather cool and mild over her exposed skin. Ally watched as Elliot had paid the entry fee for her and himself, but not Austin. But as Ally suspected, Austin paid for his own entry.

Everyone kind of knew all along how it was gonna be.

The first exhibit Ally spotted was of jellyfish. She wasn't going to lie, thinking too hard about jellyfish made her squeamish. Just, their tentacles bobbing around in the water and they look so _flimsy_ and slimy. Ally shuddered, looking a little distressed at her reflection in the glass.

"Jellyfish are so cool," Elliot said, coming to stand beside her. Ally tipped her head to the side, nodding even though she disagreed completely. She just smiled at him, gritting her teeth.

"Totally," she said. Something caught her eye. The next tank beside it was full of manatee and stingray.

As Ally approached it, she saw Austin already standing there, glancing at the aquatic animals. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, his eyes capturing every slight movement of the big stingray. Ally cleared her throat as she approached.

She wanted to talk to him. She wanted to... ask him a few quick questions.

Just a few.

 _Austin? Yeah. Hey. What's up? Yeah. Haha. Great weather, right? Um. So. About yesterday. What was that? What the_ fuck _was that? Why-why'd you.. why'd you kiss me? Why'd you kiss me and make me feel like I was going to melt on the spot in front of your cousins and_ — _oh wait. Right, right! Because I was supposed to act as your girlfriend. Then can you explain what happened right after you dropped me off at my suite and leaned in and-and_ — _yeah. And now you're acting like nothing even happened and making me feel like I want to explode and punch a few people in the face starting with_ —

"Ally?" It was Elliot, waving his hand in front of her face. She blinked, snapping her heading quickly to look at him. She blinked the haze out of her eyes and looked at him. Austin was nowhere in sight.

"Sorry! Just... manatees!" She said, trying to cover up her little slip. Elliot laughed and suddenly dropped his hand and linked it with hers. It was so spontaneous that Ally nearly squealed. Her heartbeat increased rapidly.

They were holding hands. _HoldinghandsholdinghandsholdinghandsHOLDINGHANDS_! She could run and scream and cry at the same time right now. Ally seized the opportunity to run her arm up and down Elliot's bicep.

 _Fuck yeah._

Elliot led her to another tank. It displayed a variety of fish, all different shapes, sizes and colours. It was fascinating. Ally grinned at Elliot as he went on to explain why the clownfish was his favourite.

"And no, it's not because of Nemo," Elliot said. Ally laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"And then—"

"Hey guys, you gotta check this ou—" Austin appeared around the corner of the tank, grinning while he looked at a tank of dolphins. The tank was connected to the inside and revealed an opening at the top where the dolphins did regular shows.

However, Austin stopped dead when he saw that their hands were linked. Ally felt the urge to yank her hand back, but Elliot's grip was tight on hers. She felt a little guilty, but just smiled at Elliot instead.

Austin never finished his sentence. He just turned back around the corner and disappeared.

"Let's go check out the activities!" Elliot said, walking in the opposite direction from Austin. Ally wrinkled her nose, though she looked over Elliot's shoulder for Austin. He was, after all, her responsibility still.

"Aren't those for the little kids?" Ally asked as Elliot walked her over there. Elliot was about to reply when the answer just came to her.

Apparently yes, as Austin was sitting and colouring a picture of a whale with half a blue crayon. Another little kid was trying to grab the crayon from him but he told the kid to hold on. "I'm almost done," Austin said to the little boy who rolled his eyes and coloured his fish red instead.

Elliot plopped down next to Austin on the kiddy stool. Ally sat across from them.

"You're colouring a whale blue?" Elliot asked incredulously. Austin frowned, looking up from his piece of work.

"The only gray crayon around here has been up that kid's nose," Austin said, pointing at a little girl with lopsided pigtails and two missing front teeth. He continued colouring.

Elliot looked at Austin's whale for a second before standing up. "I'm going to the washroom," he announced. Ally watched him go, retreating around the corner and through the door.

Why did the male washroom usually not have a line up while women washroom did? It was something she would never get.

And then she was alone with Austin.

He was still colouring his whale and creating a background for it. She watched his big hand expert an indigo crayon. Her dreams last night revealed that wasn't the only thing his hands were good at doing.

Ally looked away. Luckily, her phone buzzed at that exact moment.

Ah, good ol' Dan.

 _hi_

 _heyyyyyyyyyyy_

 _that's a lot of y's for an a_

Ally blushed. He called her an _A_. Who does that? Ally grinned as she typed in her response.

 _geez dan, you're flattering me_

 _just part of my job_

 _stop i'm turning into a tomato_

 _a cute one i bet_

 _stop it_

A nudge on her shoulder was what snapped Ally out of her texting daze. "You wanna get some water?" Austin asked. He was hovering over her, holding his hand out to help her up.

Ally dismissed his hand but stood up and let him lead her to the concession stand. Water was pretty expensive. Ally mentally beat herself over finishing her water bottle back at the hotel buffet.

Austin handed her a bottle of water and uncapped the one he got for himself. He chugged half of it before she could even get hers open. "Woah, slow down," she said. He was two thirds done.

He was still gulping down his water at a rapid pace. Ally sighed. She placed a hand on his arm.

Austin stopped chugging. He recapped the bottle. "Sorry. Was just getting real thirsty looking at all this water," he said, gesturing around at the aquarium. His bicep flexed under her hand. Ally nodded her head. Valid point.

"You should drink something," Austin said, reaching for her water bottle that was in her hand. He slipped it out of her grasp, uncapping it for her. Austin stared right into her eyes. "Stay hydrated, know-it-all," he said softly.

Ally felt her heart flutter, only to remember why he was even here in the first place. To cockblock her date with Elliot. She clenched her fist, suddenly wanting to get far away from Austin as possible.

"Why do you do this to me?" Ally asked suddenly, throwing her hands up in the air. "Why?"

Austin blinked. "Why what?"

Ally pointed a finger at him pointedly. "You-you make my life a living hell one moment, then act like you care about me the next!" Ally almost wailed. He was so confusing, yet so _clear_ of his intentions at the same time.

 _Damn, I thought girls were supposed to be the confusing one._

"I'm not acting," Austin said in a low voice. He walked over to her slowly, stopping right in front of her. The intensity in his eyes made Ally's inside explode. He cupped her chin gently, tipping her head up. Ally blinked slowly. She could see the outline of his descending head under her eyelids. She could feel his breath on her lips. They were oh so clos—

But then Ally remembered Piper's text. And Austin being a dick and telling her Elliot was a douche. And _Elliot_ , god, Elliot. She was on a date with _him._

Ally stepped back so fast she bumped into a pregnant woman pushing a stroller with twins in it. She almost fell over the stroller if it weren't for Austin's hand that shot out and grabbed her waist, pulling her to him.

The woman gave her a dirty look before continuing on with her hobble.

Ally blinked, then shoved herself away from Austin. "I-I don't. I don't think that's a good idea," she mumbled. She turned away from him, twisting her hair in her hands.

His eyes darkened. "It's not..." Austin said, although his sentence sounded more of a question than a statement.

Ally quickly took her opened water bottle from his hand before anything else that was going to make her throw up and scream at the same time happen.

Ally took a sip of her own water before she caught Austin's eye. He was staring at her with such intensity that she nearly choked on her water. Because _shit_.

Ally recapped her water bottle and stared back at him, unflinchingly. She didn't really know what would happen next if she did, so she dared herself to do it. The risk gave her a thrill deep in her stomach.

Austin's eyes studied her. Her face, her body, her water bottle. Though it looked as if he could read her, she couldn't see any emotion on his face. It was blank, showing walls and walls, blocking her from reading him.

Luckily, Elliot decided to make an appearance at that exact moment. "Dang, I had a hard time finding you guys. Could've told me where you went!" He said, lightly panting. He must've ran.

Ally breathed a sigh of relief. She laughed, looping her arm around Elliot's, grateful for an excuse to break eye contact with Austin.

"So, where to next?" Ally asked, feeling a buzz in her purse. She quickly silenced it by digging her hand into her purse to fetch her phone. Elliot frowned.

"Let's watch the dolphin show! It starts in ten minutes. Come on. We ought to get good seats if we go now," Elliot said, leading her towards a glass door. It opened to the outside, where a bunch of cement stairs were located. "You coming, Aus?" Elliot asked.

Austin clenched his fist. "First of all, it's _Austin_ ," the blond snapped. "And second, stop wasting daylight," he said. He brushed past Elliot but made contact with her with his shoulder roughly. Ally stumbled a bit, huffing in annoyance and a little hurt.

Austin made it to the door first, holding it open with his hand for her and Elliot. "After you, _Ellie_ ," Austin said, almost a snarl in his tone. Ally felt like she was missing a _huge_ piece of the picture.

Her phone buzzed.

 _it's true  
your cute brown eyes haunt my dreams every night_

Ally felt like melting. _Cute brown eyes_. How adorable. She felt like squealing, but kept herself composed.

 _stop you're making me blush  
and smile so hard my face hurts_

 _looks like i'm doing my job right then_

The dolphin show was showed in a little area with bleachers around a pool. Most of the front seats or the "Splash Zone" was already filled up. So Ally, Elliot and Austin had to sit a few seats behind that. At least she could see above the heads of some other people as the father back the bleachers, the higher they were.

"This is so exciting!" She heard Austin say under his breath. Despite the fact that he was colouring a whale earlier, dolphins seem to be his favourite aquatic animal. His eyes lit up as the show began.

Ally felt an ache in her chest as she watched him. Subtly though.

She was sandwiched between Elliot and Austin. Elliot looked a little bored of the dolphins, while Austin was the complete opposite. He looked like he could squeal whenever one of the dolphins did a trick.

 _right_

 _so what are you doing right now?_

 _i'm actually at the aquarium  
with a bunch of friends_

 _oh man you should've invited me_

"Hang on. Save my seat. I'm going to go get some water. All this water's making me thirsty," Elliot said. Ally held his spot for him, but couldn't help but notice those were the exact words Austin had said earlier.

 _maybe next time_

 _aw come on  
what do i have to do to meet up with you_

"Why are you always on your phone when Elliot's out of sight?" Austin asked her. She gave him a quick glance. Which Austin was she going to see? The dark, mysterious Austin. Or the Austin that teased her and threw his arm around her shoulder?

"I'm not always on my phone when he's out of sight," she retorted. Although, when she thought about it, it was nearly true.

"Right, and pigs fly!" Austin said sarcastically.

Ally tipped her head to the side.

 _The Austin that teases me but in a dick-ish way._

 _Just like the regular Austin._

 _What even_ is _the regular Austin?_

"What about you? Why are you always on your phone?" Ally counteracted. Austin just shook his head.

"I asked you first, Know-It-Ally," Austin said, rolling his eyes. Ally bit her lip at her nickname. "Unless you aren't actually texting anyone and just pretending like you have a life." He's back to making her life a living hell. Whoop-dee-doo.

Ally rolled her eyes. "God, no. I'm texting Dan. He keeps tex—"

"You're on a date with Elliot but you're texting Dan?" Austin asked, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. He began to laugh. Hard. He doubled over, kicking his feet like a child throwing a tantrum on the metal bleachers. Ally frowned.

Austin wiped a tear from his eye. He clutched his stomach. "That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while."

"You thought this was an adventure," Ally said, feeling frustrated.

"Clearly not," Austin said, still trying to compose himself. He cleared his throat once a few angry parents and kids began to stare at him. He wiped his palms on his jeans.

"If you knew this was a date, why'd you even tag along?" Ally asked, exasperated. She pointed a finger at his chest. "You-you _asshole_. I just wanted to go out with Elliot on this fine day, but no. You just had to appear and butt into our business. This is my life. This is _my_ date."

"Your date, huh?" Austin asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. He leaned in close, tipping his head to the side. She was suddenly nervous. "If you're on a date with Elliot, then why're you texting Dan?"

Ally swallowed. "Because he won't stop texting me," she said, her voice small.

"Why don't you tell me him to stop?" Austin asked, leaning in even closer. Ally scooted back a little, moving into Elliot's seat.

"I-I- don't really want him to," she admitted out loud. Austin stared at her, fake shocked.

"Scandalous! Know-it-all doesn't want someone else to stop texting her while she's on a date with someone else," Austin said. "How dramatic," he said smugly. The last of Ally's nerves were getting the best of her.

"It isn't a date if you're here," she muttered, looking away from him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Austin freeze.

Slowly, very slowly, Austin returned to his seat. "Who the _fuck_ needs a supervisor on their _date_? Thanks a lot, _Aus_ ," she said sarcastically. She turned to look at him. "Besides, wouldn't you rather be doing something important right now then crash my date? _You're wasting daylight_ ," she mimicked him.

Austin's eyebrows furrowed. In a second, he looked deadly. He had his fists clenched in his lap. His eyes were staring at his hands. Unclench.

"You know, if you wanted me to fuck off, you could've just said so," Austin said in a quiet voice.

"I've been trying to tell you _all day_ ," Ally snapped at him. She resisted the urge to smack him in the head.

"Can't _you_ take a hint?" Austin snapped. The vein on his neck popped. Ally swallowed. "He's using you! Elliot's no fucking good. He's an asshole, a dirty little rat. He's using you, like he did with all those other girls. Goddamn it. I can't believe—"

"I can't believe you!" Ally groaned out loud, barely listening to what he was saying. "Can you open your eyes for a second and take a good look at Elliot? He's a gentleman, he's a genuine guy. He was supposed to take me mountain biking today but he couldn't get his sister's bike fixed."

Austin chuckled darkly. His jaw was clenched. He mumbled something under his breath that Ally couldn't catch. Austin stood up suddenly. "Alright then, Ally," he said. "Enjoy your date with _Ell-idiot_."

"Finally," she grumbled. Austin brushed past her, off the bleachers. But not before turning around to stare at her one last time.

"Oh, and ask him about his _sister_ for me," Austin said, tipping his head to the side. If someone were to look at him for the first time, they might have found that innocent. "It's been a while since I've heard from her." Then he disappeared around the corner of the bleachers.

 _Well, that was odd._

Ally sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. She was dizzy and full of pent up emotion. She wanted to scream and cry and punch and kick and groan all at once.

"Woah, what was that all about?" Elliot asked, appearing right at her side when she turned around. Ally blinked. _Where did he come from?_

"Nothing, nothing."

"Hey, where's Austin?" Elliot asked, looking over her shoulder. Ally sighed, shaking her head. Then she smiled at him.

"Oh, he had something to do," she explained.

"Shame," Elliot said simply. Then he let her loop her arm around his bicep again. Ally sighed, tired.

Austin's words played in her mind. _He's using you._

Ally shook her head, clearing it from thoughts. However, as she watched the dolphins twirl around in the water, clasping their jaws over fish treats the experts gave it, she couldn't help but wonder. _Ask him about his sister for me. It's been a while since I've heard from her._

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Did Austin have a thing for Elliot's sister? _Oh my god._ Maybe that's why he didn't like Elliot. Because he had a thing for his sister so they're in this complicated fighting thing.

Austin's voice nagged her at the back of her mind.

"Elliot?" Ally asked, deciding to carefully execute her words.

Elliot turned his sparkling brown eyes on her. "What's up?"

Ally licked her lips, running the words over and over in her head. She smiled right before answering him. "How's your sister?"

Elliot's face went blank for a second. He furrowed his eyebrow. "I don't have a—" Suddenly, recognition slammed into him. The easygoing smile returned to his face almost as fast as it left. "O-oh yeah, she's great. Yup. Probably baking a pie, right now."

Ally swallowed. She studied his face for a moment. _Probably baking a pie, right now._ "How... _sweet_. She must be quite the baker," Ally said. She almost stumbled while saying the word baker.

 _What I meant to say was faker._

"Yup, totally."

Suddenly, she didn't feel like such a know-it-all anymore.

* * *

 **Lots of things are happening, you see. This had to happen.**

 **Okay, um. I really liked how I wrote this chapter. It's exactly how I imagined it to be. Eeeeeep. I'm so excited to post the next few chapters because fINALLY things are starting to get interesting. ;) :) :)**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! _If you have nothing nice to say, please don't say it at all!_ Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

 _ **i need to tell her**_


	11. xi

**hello it me**

 **I would just like to dedicate this chapter to my number 1 hoe May(ass)a because she's my number 1 hoe; what other reason do I need to give ya'll?**

 **Also, happy St. Patrick's Day! I felt it was kind of ironic how this chapter collided on this day.**

 **Enjoy! I don't own anything!**

* * *

Ally watched as Elliot switched from the inner right lane to the outer left.

She glanced at her reflection in the side view mirror. She was wearing a simple knit sweater over her old teal dress she wore on her first date with Elliot. Hopefully, he didn't notice her lack of new attire.

They had just seen a new movie in the theatre and Elliot was driving her home. And apparently, taking his time at that. He had already missed three turns and stopped for gas at two different stations.

Apparently, it was _better for the environment_.

Elliot made a lazy left turn at the intersection of the road and continued driving. Was he taking the long way back to the hotel?

"You missed the left turn," Ally said after Elliot crossed another intersection.

Elliot frowned, opened his mouth, then closed it. Ally waited for his response. He was silent for such a long time, they made two turns.

Ally watched as the sky turned dark, storm clouds hovered hesitatingly in the sky,

Ally blinked, feeling a wave of déjà vu wash over her. She sighed, placing a hand on her forehead and groaned silently. She gave Elliot a discreet side glance. "We're not going back to the hotel, are we?"

There was a pause.

"No?" Elliot said sheepishly. He slunk down in the driver's seat a little.

Ally's eyes widened. She glanced at their surroundings before back at him. "What?"

"No," Elliot said more firmly. Ally cocked an eyebrow at him, expecting an answer or an explanation of some sort. She looked at him expectantly.

"No?" Ally asked, her eyebrow still raised. Elliot kept his eyes on the road, but she could see his knuckles beginning to turn white. After a pregnant moment of silence, Ally sighed quietly. "Care to explain?"

"Nope," Elliot said. Although it was casual and meant as a joke, Ally felt frustrated.

"Elliot," she gave him a warning glance. Elliot laughed lightly before turning into the curb on a street that _wasn't_ where the hotel was. Ally frowned and harrumphed, sliding down in her seat, refusing to take off her seatbelt.

Elliot got out of the car. "If you look to your right," he said, closing the door and cutting off the rest of his sentence. He opened the door for her on the passenger side. "You'll see that we've arrived at a party."

Ally furrowed her eyebrow, still refusing to sit up. As much as she _liked_ Elliot, she really wasn't feeling a _party_ right now.

"I... don't really think that's a good idea," Ally said regretfully. "You see, I have to study for this Chemistry test I have once I get back to Miami, and I still have an English paper to do, gotta buy a new green highlighte—"

Elliot rolled his eyes and gave her a playful grin. "Come on, Ally. This'll be fun. Besides, I know a few guys that'll hook us up with anything we wanna drink."

"I don't drink."

Elliot smiled patiently. "I mean like _drink_. Free water, juice, soda, milk— I mean if you're into drinking milk at the club, I'm cool with that," Elliot said, totally straight-faced, still holding his hand out to her.

Ally couldn't help but blush at the way he was smiling at her. And even considered letting her drink milk as an option in a club. "Fine," she grumbled sarcastically. She made it clear that she didn't want to be here, yet still got up. She grabbed his soft hands.

Ally thought about that for a second. Did he use hand moisturizer? His hands were extremely _smooth_ and _soft_ for a person who claimed to go mountain biking a lot.

Then again, he could have been wearing gloves while he rode his bike.

Elliot led the way into the club where the pounding music was already beginning to make Ally's body vibrate. She hummed in annoyance at the bright lights and the instantaneous smell of beer and sweat.

"Gross," she muttered as the smell of vomit washed over her from a nearby person who was, hail holy, throwing up. She wrinkled her nose.

Elliot led the way deeper into the club, passing by some people who he apparently knew, as he greeted them with grins and pats on the back. Ally mumbled greetings here and there but was still wary of going to another club.

Her experiences with clubs didn't end too well.

Elliot stopped at the counter of the bar. "Fernando!" He greeted a round, fat, bearded man enthusiastically.

The man turned around, sparing Ally from seeing his equally chubby behind. "Elliot! Bonjour!" Fernando said. His face was tomato red, and not because it was extremely _hot_ in the club. Ally assumed he always looked sunburned.

Elliot chuckled as the man patted him affectionately, Ally assumed. "Fernando, this is Ally," Elliot said. The blue-eyed boy gestured to the fat, chubby man who, up close, Ally could see was _very_ sweaty. She gulped nervously.

"Hi," Ally said shyly. Fernando smiled brightly.

"Ah! Hola chica!" Fernando grinned at her. Ally frowned. He greeted Elliot in French earlier, but then suddenly switched to Spanish. Odd, but interesting. Mostly odd.

Fernando walked over to her and shook her hand enthusiastically, grinning manically and surely dislocating her arm. All Ally could do was smile with her teeth clenched and try to keep her arm attached to her shoulder.

Elliot chuckled at the greeting. "Alright. Let's start with something light. Two... tequilas, please."

Fernando nodded his head and went straight to work, grabbing two tall glasses from somewhere under the counter. He then popped a new bottle of tequila and poured with excellent precision into the two glass cups, not spilling a single drop on the counter. Ally marvelled at his chubby arms.

"Enjoy!" Fernando said, making a gesture fancy chefs do when they serve their fine cuisine. Ally was certain Fernando was not Spanish or French, but Italian.

Elliot grabbed his drink and handed Ally's to her. "A toast," he said. "To us."

"I don't drink." Ally made a face at the tequila being handed to her. However, Elliot showed his insistence by shoving the glass into her hands. Ally mentally rolled her eyes but the quick annoyance melted as soon as she saw the smile Elliot had flashed her. Her next breath was a hard one.

"C'mon Ally, live a little," Elliot laughed. Ally blinked.

 _C'mon Know-It-Ally, live a little._

She shook her head. No. _Get out._

The last time she listened to _that_ holy line, she lost her dignity, her book, and her favourite green gel pen.

Although, looking back, she did end up giving her number to a random guy who turned out to be one of the sweetest people on the planet. And she figured out that Austin was a big fat _jerk_. And that she could survive seven hours in heels.

Ally drank the entire glass of tequila in two big gulps.

"Woah, slow down. It's a toast, not an entire loaf of bread," Elliot laughed. Ally nearly sent her tequila flying from her mouth.

"That is the _funniest_ thing I have ever heard in my life," she said. Ally slapped her knee, doubling over and laughing. She laughed until there were tears in the corner of her eyes. She wiped them with the back of her hand.

As Elliot hollered at Fernando for another glass of 'higher maintenance liquid,' Ally recovered from her sudden outburst of energy. Only to spot an unmistakeable flash of blond hair out of the corner of her eye. She forgot to breathe.

Alas, Austin Moon was in her presence.

Ally's heartbeat picked up when she saw the back of his head. She'd later admit that she ran her hands through his thick, silky hair in her dreams more than once. Ally wondered if it felt as good in reality as in her dreams.

 _Snap out of it._

Austin was wearing a denim shirt with his signature black jeans. He didn't have his black snapback on, which was probably the exact reason why Ally spotted his messy, hay-coloured hair so fast.

He was also with another brunette chick.

Ally narrowed her eyes. Her heartbeat picked up at once, but for a different reason this time. She felt her blood boiling, her palms beginning to sweat. Ally clenched her hand around the tall wine glass to keep from punching the counter.

She looked away, but her head snapped back towards his direction.

Ally watched as Austin whispered something to the brown-haired female standing beside him. The first extremely noticeable feature was that the brunette was _extremely_ curvaceous. On top of that, she was pretty and tall and _brunette_. Hard to compete with light brown, flowing locks like that. Of course Ally had brown hair, but it wasn't as noticeable as hers.

She wore something not-so hateable, so Ally couldn't find a flaw there, but it was probably an extremely explicit and aggravating in the eyes of a male.

The girl giggled and in turn, put her mouth near his ear to whisper something back. Austin grinned that boyish grin of his, showing his two sweet dimples. He flashed the brunette a smile.

Ally watched as he did that thing where he leaned into your personal comfort zone, but you didn't find it aggravating because it was _exhilarating_. He sure was giving that brunette his full attention.

Ally felt an ache in her chest. She turned back around to avoid anymore emotions from catching her off guard. "Hey Elliot—"

Elliot was nowhere in sight.

Ally let out a groan. "What's with the bringing me to parties and then ditching me?" She mumbled under her breath. Ally was still fairly keen and aware of her surroundings, as the only drink she had was a small tequila.

However, the higher maintenance liquid meant for her sat untouched on the table. Ally eyed it carefully.

Ally scanned the room for Elliot, finding him stalking towards her from the corner of her eye.

He sure liked taking his time.

Elliot's pace was slow and steady. He literally was _sashaying_ over to her at a leisurely pace. Ally watched his usually, quick and empowering steps turn into slow drags of the foot and easy arms swinging at his side.

"Heeeeey Ally," Elliot said, hiccupping at the end of his sentence. She knew what that meant all too well.

Ally sighed. "How many drinks did you have?"

Elliot shrugged a shoulder. The gesture looked so innocent coming from him. "Mmm'bout six er seven," Elliot mumbled, counting them off on his fingers. He had eight fingers up.

"Right," Ally said.

Elliot sidled up to her on one of the stools. Ally had already taken a seat after her drink, for a fear of wandering off.

Since she wasn't paying attention, Ally nearly jumped out of her seat when it happened. Elliot had put his hand on her bare knee and was slowly rubbing up and down the expanse of her skin.

He's never _ever_ done that before.

Ally felt tingly and a little nervous but her mind was also screaming _finally_. Ally tried to act like it was no big deal, but alas, it was a big deal. She kept the wine glass by her lips for a quick excuse not to burst into a great big smile. Her heart hammered wildly inside her chest.

Elliot's hand slowly traveled up to her thigh. He was getting dangerously close to the hem of her dress. Ally felt a little exposed when his hand brushed the end of her dress.

"Elliot."

"Allllllly."

Elliot's hand slipped under her dress.

Ally stood up abruptly. "You know what? I really need to go to the bathroom. Would you excuse me for just a secon—"

"I'll c-come with you," Elliot said, standing up behind her. Ally blinked.

"No it's fine. It's the woman's washroom anyway, I don't think you can go in there now," she laughed, pointing to the washroom behind her shoulder. "Won't be long now."

"No seriously, I'll come with you."

"Why? Do you need to pee?"

Elliot blinked. Then he started laughing. "You said— you said _pee_ ," he laughed out loud. He doubled over, clutching his stomach and shut his eyes. Ally was confused.

"I'll be back," she decided to say. Elliot probably didn't hear her, which was a good thing.

Ally scrambled to the bathroom, feeling a little rattled at Elliot's sudden actions. She brushed past some ladies talking about the achievements of their kids. They were always trying to one-up each other.

Ally didn't really have to go to the washroom. She just needed to get away for a while.

Ally stayed in the washroom, eavesdropping on the mom's conversations before almost chuckling at the expense of an accident one of the kids had.

 _Poor Johnny._

She stepped out of the washroom after washing her hands twice, only to come face to face with Elliot.

"Where'd you go?" He asked in a low voice. He seemed to compose himself after laughing over the fact that she said she needed to urinate.

"I thought I told you I had to go to the washroom," she said. Elliot seemed to remember that in his haze of alcohol.

"Oh yeah," he said, cheering up. His eyes were hazy. "Come on! I want to go dance. Surely you know how to dance? Eh, who cares. It'll be that much more fun if you don't!" Elliot said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the dance floor.

Ally had no time to protest as Elliot yanked so hard on her arm she tripped over a pair of feet and landed flat on her butt. Elliot seemed confused for a second before he spotted her rubbing her tush on the ground.

"Ow," Ally grumbled. Elliot blinked before he held his hand out to her. Ally was about to grab it but he yanked it back.

"Sike!" He laughed, slapping his knee. Ally grumbled.

Elliot plus alcohol equals a bastard.

Add that formula to the physics book.

Ally got up on her own accord and was locked in the middle of a pact of drunk, sweaty, dancing people. It was gross and she was suddenly overcome with a realization.

She left her purse in the washroom.

Making a bee-line for the bathroom, Ally slipped under the raised arms of a few people and dashed in her black flats to the washroom. Luckily, her purse was on the counter right where she left it, still with all the content inside.

"Bless," Ally mumbled gratefully. She grabbed her purse and checked once more for everything. She made her way out the door, still nose deep in her purse.

"Why are ya always runnin' off —ike that?" Elliot asked as she ran smack into him. "We came here to have fun didn't we?"

Ally rubbed her forehead. "I didn't really want to go."

Elliot apparently didn't hear her. "Lezz get back to _dan_ cin'!" Again, Elliot grabbed her hand and pulled her out to the dance floor. This time Ally was prepared to be led away.

Elliot began to do a little jig on the dance floor. The floor cleared suddenly for Elliot to dance. Ally watched in awe as Elliot switched from foot to foot and doing all these random gestures that mingle so well together.

Ally stood in the crowd and cheered with them as Elliot danced his little heart out.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ally spotted the head of messy blond hair make his way through the crowd. She bit her lip as he suddenly swivelled around, but then proceeded on doing whatever he was doing.

Which was apparently bringing the drinks in his hands to the brunette sitting on one of the higher stools. Her legs literally _shone_ in the dim lights of the club.

The roar of the crowd snapped her out of her daze. Elliot got up off the ground and brushed off his jeans as if it were no big deal.

"Well, what was that?" Ally asked when Elliot finished and the cheering had died down.

"It's called havin' fun!" Elliot laughed. He was a lot better as a drunk than a certain someone Ally knew. "You wanna get 'nother drink?"

Ally shook her head immediately. "No thank—" Elliot grabbed her hand and hauled her away to the counter. Ally stumbled over her foot but luckily regained her balance quickly.

She sighed as Elliot hauled her to the bar. Something mentally hit her just then. Elliot had been a lot more touchy with her in the past half hour. Come to think of it, he's never _really_ touched her in any way other than maybe holding her hand, but even then it was only for a little while.

Fernando was nowhere in sight. Elliot sat on one of the stools and Ally did the same, sitting on the opposing stool.

Her phone buzzed.

 _heyyyy_

 _hey dan, how are you?_

 _i'm good, how are you a?_

Ally assumed _A_ was for the first letter of her name. Or maybe he just meant _aye_. He was after all, Canadian.

 _i'm great, thanks for asking_

"Who're you texting?" Elliot asked. Although with his slur it sounded as if he said _whore_ _you texin'_.

Ally blinked. "No one," she said sheepishly. She remembered Austin's words playing in the back of her head. _You're on a date with Elliot but you're texting Dan?_

"Really?" Elliot asked, squinting his eyes at her. He somehow poured himself a glass of red wine. Or, Ally assumed it was red wine. It looked a little funky near the top.

"Really," Ally confirmed. She shoved her phone back into her purse.

There was a pregnant pause. As Ally let her eyes wander the club, she felt Elliot's hand hover over her bare thigh again. Then it made contact with her skin. Ally let out a deep breath.

"So," she tried starting up a conversation but Elliot seemed to have different intentions _._

His hand traveled from its position to her thigh _over_ her dress. It slowly hovered for a bit before it came to a stop on her shoulder. Elliot was gazing right into her eyes. Ally swallowed.

"You know, you look really pretty in that teal dress," Elliot said in a low voice. "It's a shame you got this sweater on. It's covering up that lovely bodice."

Who uses the word _bodice_?

"Maybe you should... take it off," Elliot said. Apparently, his slur had disappeared. And so had Ally's lungs because she just couldn't _breathe_.

Ally furrowed her eyebrow, only slightly. Elliot's hand trailed down her shoulder, hooking the collar of her sweater in his hand. Ally gasped as his hand touched her shoulder right where the dress and the collar ended.

Suddenly, a very drunk looking Fernando appeared at their side. He was stumbling and crashing about; his stomach doing so much damage. Ally nearly fell off her seat as he stumbled right into her. "Oy vey!" He exclaimed as the drink in his hand went _splat_ against her sweater.

Ally stood up immediately. The content of the drink— she believed it was whiskey— dripped from her sweater to her dress. It nearly made it to her leg if she didn't wipe it away with the front of her hand, smudging her dress.

"Mademoiselle, forgive me," Fernando wailed. He then proceeded to refill his glass that was on the floor with vodka.

"We better get that cleaned up," Elliot said. Nothing in his voice changed. It didn't sound concerned nor did it sound sympathetic. It sounded toneless.

Elliot grabbed her hand before she could protest and led her away to the washroom. Ally was still staring dismayed at her wet sweater and equally soaked flare of her dress.

Before they reached the washrooms, Elliot suddenly swivelled around, grabbed her by the waist and had her pinned against the wall between the women's washroom and the men's washroom. Ally yelped.

"Ellio—"

"You know, I've been waiting for this moment for a really long time," Elliot said. His breath hit her in the face. Ally gulped. "Kinda planned this for yesterday but then your _buddy_ interfered with _that_."

Ally could _hear_ her heartbeat thumping in her chest. It rang so loud in her ears. "Wha-what do you mean?"

"Ally, ally, ally," Elliot shook his head at her. His hand travelled from the front of her waist, to the back. Ally yelped as his hand gave her ass a squeeze. Her eyes widened. He said no more but then his eyes travelled from hers to her sweater. His voice was so low she barely heard it. "We should take this off, before-before you get a cold."

Ally fought his hands groping at the hem of her sweater. "No, no! I think. I think it's fine. I-we— You should bring me back to the hotel, fast! So I can change."

"Change?" Elliot asked in his still-water voice. "Why would you want to do that when you could just take off this wet sweater?" He asked, still playing with the hem of her sweater. Ally took a deep breath.

She shut her eyes. "I think-I think I'm okay."

"Come on, you wouldn't want to get sick now, would you?" Elliot asked, his voice suddenly soft and mellow. With her eyes shut, she could imagine the comfort in taking off her cold sweater and putting on something else. Maybe he'd offer her his jacket? Or maybe—

Ally's body suddenly felt really cold.

Elliot had taken off her sweater.

"Oh my, it looks like the bottom of your dress got soaked too," Elliot said. His grip on her waist had become deadly. "Wouldn't want to get cold now, would you?"

"I'm not taking off my dress," Ally squeaked out. Elliot didn't hear her. His hand went from her waist to her thigh. He lifted the back of her leg up and hooked it under his arm.

"You've got such long legs for someone who's only five two," Elliot said in a low voice. His hand began to travel up her leg, slipping under the hem of her dress. "And I think I was right when I said the bodice of this dress is simply great." Elliot let his hand hover over her breast before he decided to let it drop. Ally couldn't breathe.

With her back against the wall and her body crushed under Elliot Ally could do nothing but watch as his face inch closer and closer...

Ally stopped fighting and let her mind wander. _It wouldn't be so bad, would it? I mean. It's Elliot. It's the man of your dreams._

Suddenly, Elliot's eyes flew open and a wicked grin rested on his face. He grabbed her by the waist and hauled her into a little alcove at the back of the hallway with the washrooms. If Ally wasn't rattled before, she sure was now. She understood what everything all lead to.

Ally didn't have time to think before Elliot suddenly slammed her back against the wall and his mouth went to her collar. Ally let out a screech of surprise.

"When I get this _fucking_ dress off," she heard him mutter against her neck. Elliot's hand ran from her waist to her thighs. He groped at the hem of her whiskey-splashed dress and slowly lifted it up until—

"You'll do no _fucking_ thing," a voice rang out of the blue. Suddenly, the weight of Elliot over her shifted to the left, then disappeared completely. Ally gasped as she suddenly felt her breakfast come back up.

Elliot groaned, clutching his stomach. Ally snapped her head from side to side. "Well if it isn't Austin Moon."

Ally rubbed her eyes to see if it were true.

Alas, Austin Moon was in her presence.

He had a fist clenched. One hand worked at rolling the sleeve of his denim shirt up to his elbow. He looked angry, his wild hair only adding to her assumption. "Elliot, you asshole," Austin grumbled, shaking out his hand as if it hurt. "I thought you would've learned by now."

"That you're a fucking dick?" He spat back. Elliot stopped clutching his stomach and stood upright. He took three steps, the few that he needed to get to be face to face with Austin.

There was a short pause. Ally could count how many times her heart thumped in that moment.

 _Eight, nine, ten, eleven_ —

"That _you're_ a fucking dick," Austin grumbled. Then he threw a fist at Elliot's face.

 _Shit._

Elliot groaned, cradling the side of his face that made contact with Austin's fist. "Once upon a time you were just as bad, don't you agree?" He smirked. Elliot wound up his own fist and threw it at Austin.

Austin luckily dogged just in time. "Come on, don't be like that," Austin pouted. "The past is in the past. The present is now." With that, Austin took Elliot to the ground. Elliot flailed a bit before hitting the floor.

Austin got in an easy three punches before he slammed his fist into Elliot's nose so hard Ally was sure she heard a crack. However, the tides decided to turn. Apparently both Elliot _and_ Austin knew how to do the two-move ninja flip.

Elliot slammed Austin's head against the floor. The blond groaned. "You think you're so _good_ at everything, don't you? Interfering with business—"

"—This isn't something you can just cross off on your to-do list, Ell- _idiot_ ," Austin groaned. "Have you told Ally exactly _why_ you're in Canada and not in Florida? I'm sure she'd _love_ to know," Austin gritted his teeth as Elliot hit him in the gut.

"Love to know what?" Ally squeaked when she heard her name. However, the two quarrelling guys paid no attention to her.

"You can shut up about _that_ ," Elliot hissed. Austin grumbled and rolled his eyes. He sent his fist flying into Elliot's face again. "Fuck you, Austin."

"She was about to," Austin muttered, struggling to breathe now. He sent a flailing arm right into Elliot's face.

"Damn you, Austin. Why can't you just butt out of my business?" Elliot had a hand around his throat. Austin wheezed. The blond sent his knee flying and smashed it right into Elliot's stomach.

Ally looked away.

"Fuck me," Elliot wheezed, stumbling and clutching his stomach.

Austin laughed, thought it sounded strained. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "She wasn't even going to if you paid her, asshole."

Ally was having trouble comprehending everything that was going on. _Who's_ she _?_ And-and what secret was Elliot keeping? Why was he in Canada? Why did he move away anyway? He had a scholarship to-to—

A crash snapped Ally out of her thoughts. Ally jumped to avoid being taken down my a mass of squabbling movement. However, she just hopped into the direct path of the bulldozer. She yelped as Elliot crashed into her legs, taking her down to the floor.

Ally groaned. Her head spun, she felt extremely cold and confused. She wasn't sure if she wanted to scream, cry, laugh or just curl up into a ball and wake up somewhere else.

What the fuck was going on?

"Here, let me help you up." A hand grabbed her waist gently and hauled her up from the ground. But suddenly, the wind was knocked out of her lungs when she hit the ground again. Ally muttered a curse.

"Don't you dare lay a _fucking_ finger on her," Austin spat. Ally was too dizzy and out of it she could barely see. "I swear to God—"

There was a loud crash.

She couldn't imagine what could have possibly created a noise like that. She looked around, blinking away the blurriness in her eyes. Everything had a fuzzy look to it, the edges swirling in her vision.

And suddenly, she was being helped up again. But this time, with more urgent hands that had a better sense of where they were going. "Let's get outta here," a rough voice whispered in her ear.

Ally's knees couldn't cooperate with the wishes of her mind. They buckled underneath her. She would've collided with the floor again if it weren't for a pair of strong arms keeping her up. "Are you okay?" A concerned voice asked.

She didn't answer. Ally turned around slowly. Maybe God was real.

Or maybe he was a brown-eyed little he-devil dressed in a denim shirt.

As Ally floated out of consciousness and into _un_ consciousness, she started to think maybe the man of her dreams was blond.

* * *

 **If you didn't get it, it's ironic because Elliot danced a jig.**

 **bUT ANYWAY. WHat just HAPPENED? (OfcourseIknowwhat'sgoingonbutyoudon'tsohahahahAHa) Things are going down guys. A lotta things. Everything will soon be revealed though, so just stick around. ;) ;)**

 **Thank you for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

 _ **tomorrow for sure**_


	12. xii

**heY**

 **I hope you're all having a lovely day... So I can ruin it with this chapter... Hahahahaha. Just KIDDING! I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Let me live.**

 **Enjoy! I don't own anything!**

* * *

Light.

That's all she saw.

Ally emerged from sleep groggily. There was a dull thump at the back of her head, it wasn't too bad; she could manage.

 _Where am I?_

Ally groaned as a sense of déjà vu washed over her. She grabbed the sheets and tried hauling them over her head. They obliged to her request. Although her arms were a little sore and tired. The sheets left her feet exposed.

Immediately after she was engulfed in the warmth of the covers she realized something was wrong. Alarming, even.

She didn't want to move, however. She felt fine as she was. She could have stayed there and fallen back asleep but something inside of her was yelling so loud her ears were ringing.

But, damn it. The bed was so soft and she felt so good and warm and tingly.

Ally gave herself two minutes to relax. It did the trick. Her mind wandered off to the point where she almost fell back asleep.

Ally didn't open her eyes, but instead took a deep breath. Comfort and alarm washed over her. Ally immediately threw the covers off of her body. The light streaming through the windows forced her to open her eyes.

She was not in her room.

Ally blinked the morning daze out of her eyes. She scanned the room for an explanation. There was a pair of sneakers on the floor next to ripped jeans. In another pile on the left of that was a light blue collared shirt with a wrinkled tie placed strategically on top.

The smell of the covers only reassured her what she didn't want to believe even more. But Ally couldn't _not_ breathe. So she let go of the breath she was holding and took in another whiff of Florida and sunshine.

Ally groaned, feeling sore all over and sat up in Austin's bed. It's just how she remembered it; messy yet clean, comforting yet alarming, tranquil yet loud.

There was even a pack of maple-flavoured gum on the ground.

Ally didn't want to think of how she got in that position. She yawned and actually felt a warmth spread inside her chest. Austin must have let her sleep in his bed.

 _I wonder where he slept._

She couldn't recall what happened the moment she passed out. All she remembered was being too tired to hold herself up. She did, however, remember seeing the seething look on Austin's face, full of anger and concern at the same time the moment she passed.

Austin was nowhere in sight. Ally wasn't sure if she were disappointed or relieved. On one hand, she wanted to talk to him. But on the other, she felt extremely vulnerable.

Austin was right. Elliot was no good. And he let her down big time.

Ally let her mind wander for a bit. She laid her head down on the pillow and pulled the sheet up and over her head.

She only recently discovered she found Austin's scent comforting.

She felt giddy and a little happy but at the same time on edge and a little afraid. However, the giddiness overpowered most everything else. It was alright.

She felt happy for the first time in a while. It made Ally want to shove her face into the pillow and smile and let out a scream. At the same time, she felt tired and drained. However, happy was the key factor.

A buzzing noise startled her. Ally recognized the noise as an incoming text message. She threw the sheet off of her and looked around for her purse, hoping that it wasn't missing half of its content.

However, when she found her phone, it was silent.

Because it was dead.

Ally frowned. The buzzing noise kept going. She was standing at the corner of the room where she retrieved her purse from the big armchair. Ally spotted the glass of water on the bedside table and instantly felt thirsty.

She knew something was off about the glass of water. It vibrated. Beside the glass was Austin's phone, receiving eight hundred messages per second. Ally frowned. He must have left and forgotten his phone.

She sat on the bed, sipping the glass of water. Ally decided to turn his phone off so it wouldn't run out of battery. However, when she picked it up, her eyes couldn't help but wander to who was texting him.

The display name was _Piper_ and two grinning face with smiling eyes emojis.

She learned the technical name for them one day during Chemistry.

Ally frowned again. Why would Piper be texting him paragraphs per second at eight in the morning?

She let her thumb slip over the text message. Apparently, Austin either didn't keep his phone locked, or kept the _screen_ on for more than ten minutes.

Ally's eyes were met with a flash of the brightness of the screen before the adjusted. She looked at a few messages before the recent one Piper sent. Just to get a feel of the conversation.

 _so whatcha gonna do about ally?_

Her eyes paused over her name.

Ally frowned. She was the topic of their conversation?

 _i don't knowww  
but i'm starting to think it was all a mistake_

Ally blinked. At first, she couldn't make sense of the sentence. She read it over and over. What was all a mistake? What could be so important for Austin to call it _it_? Or maybe _it_ meant that it wasn't important at all.

And then _it_ hit her.

The kiss.

The kiss was all a mistake?

The kiss was all a mistake. The kiss was all a mistake. The kiss was all a mistake.

 _But I'm starting to think it was all a mistake._

Ally didn't bother reading anymore of Piper's rapidly incoming texts. She blinked slowly, her eyebrows furrowed. She slowly put Austin's phone back down and took a deep breath. Her hands folded in her lap.

Fuck.

Fuck Austin.

He's been texting Piper all along. All along. Blabbing about every detail of-of them and of everything she's been doing. That's why he's always nose-deep in his phone, always texting Piper and telling of her of what an ignorant little shit she was. He probably even told Piper about her unlucky encounter with Elliot. God, she was so stupid.

Of course he'd be texting Piper. Him, Piper, Kira and Jace. The dick squad. She should have known.

Ally could just imagine Piper, with that white smile and blonde hair laughing at her. Shaking her head and just cracking up at the thought of her. Ally clenched her hands around each other.

Ally took a deep breath, trying to calm the rapid pump of her heart. She willed the tears that formed in the corner of her eyes to disappear. She was stronger than this.

A lot stronger.

Ally wished her phone wasn't dead. So she could text Trish and tell her to bring out her Hawaiian machete she got from that one trip to the tropical island. Ally wished she wasn't in Austin's room with his scent comforting her but at the same time driving her insane. Most of all, Ally wished Austin would just disappear from her life completely.

 _God, I feel so stupid._

She didn't know why she felt so _disappointed_. It wasn't as if Austin hadn't let her down before. He's done worse things than Elliot ever will do.

Ally sighed. She couldn't shake the feeling of trust she had for Austin. Even if it lasted only a few moments. She thought he was finally... changing.

Ally groaned as she stood up. Her world shifting. One glass of tequila was apparently too much for her body to handle.

Ally grabbed her jacket and her purse from the floor of Austin's room— because apparently placing her jacket and purse on the coat rack was hard enough— and dashed out of his suite.

And she ran and ran and ran until she made it to the elevator. And then ran and ran and ran some more until she reached her own suite. Ally slammed the door closed and slid down the door.

She sighed, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her head against them. She stayed in that position for a while before coming to the realization that she should probably charge her phone.

And fix up her life.

The former was probably the most doable at the moment.

Ally sighed, getting up from the ground. She was still in yesterday's clothes; her teal dress and her sweater acting as her jacket.

 _Note to self, burn teal dress and navy knit sweater ASAP._

Ally read a book while her phone charged. But she just couldn't focus. Her mind kept wandering to all the times Austin had been _decently_ nice to her. It all lead to that stupid kiss, but then he had to go and tell Piper that it was a _mistake_?

The realization hit her like a ton of fucking bricks.

Ally knew why she felt so down. She was completely _destroyed_ because of Austin.

Thinking that thought only made Ally see red.

When her phone was at a decent percentage, Ally unplugged it from her charger and decided she was going to take a walk. She needed to clear her head and just breathe for a moment.

Ally grabbed her trench coat and put on her black furry boots. She wrapped herself up in a maroon scarf before walking out of her suite with nothing but her wallet, room key and phone.

The cold air blasted Ally right in the face. She wished she brought some heeled boots so she could do a dramatic walk with her face in her scarf and her hands in her coat pockets.

Ms. Krum called off the rest of the outings. She said that the last few days in another city should be spent doing things everyone else wanted to do for a change. Everyone second that so fast, Ally included.

As Ally walked through the busy streets of Vancouver, she reminisced all the things she's done in the past ten days. It was a lot.

She's been sightseeing, to a few restaurants, a mall, clubs, art gallery, Science World, a record store with a secret club, a banquet hall and a wedding, two cathedrals and not to mention the lovely hotel she was at and the debate complex. On top of that, she's met so many new people in such a short amount of time.

Ally felt a little gloomy. She woke up with good intentions, but five minutes later, crushed. She shook her head. _No._

 _Yes._

 _No way! I can't be._

 _You totally are._

 _I'm not._

 _Shut up, Dawson. You totally are._

She was completely, head-over-heels hopelessly, destroyed by Austin Moon.

The revelation made Ally want to bury herself deeper into her scarf. She was a walking pair of eyes and brows.

A buzz of her phone in her trench coat pocket stopped her. Ally grabbed her phone with one hand and checked for a text message.

Dan.

 _hi  
how are you today?_

Ally sighed. How was she supposed to explain she felt gloomy because she found out that she was head-over-heels for the guy who was always tormenting her and is _still_ tormenting her but somehow she felt worse.

 _i'm  
okay_

 _yikes, why'd you hesitate while typing okay?_

 _just having a rough morning  
and couldn't sleep that well_

Of course that last part was a lie. She probably slept like a baby. Again her mind wandered to the many thoughts racing through her mind. _If I slept in Austin's bed, where did he sleep?_

Her mind wandered to the wrinkled sheets beside her, the everlasting scent of Miami following her and the fact that there was a glass of water beside the table.

 _aw, that sucks, i'm sorry  
maybe seeing my face might cheer you up?_

Ally considered that for a moment. Meet up with Dan? Finally after these two weeks of texting? She's gotten a feel for his way of flirting and personally, who he is. She even knows what he looks like now.

What did she have to lose?

 _where are you?_

 _starbucks_

Typical.

Ally received the address of Dan's favourite Starbucks and searched up the location of the place. Once she found out that it was within walking distance, Ally began to set her pace and made her way to the coffee shop.

She was nervous and excited at the same time. She was finally, _finally_ meeting Dan. After days and days of continuous flirting and texting for hours and hours.

But then again, Dan probably doesn't remember what she looks like at all. What if she's different from his expectations? What if she makes a fool of herself?

Again, she had nothing to lose anymore.

The excitement overpowered the rest of her fears and doubts. Ally began to speed-walk to the coffee shop, making her unfit calves pulse with every increasingly fast step. Her fluffy black boots dissatisfied her with their soft noise. She wanted to be badass, with her heels clicking on the pavement.

Ally took a deep breath as she approached the shop. She calmed her racing heart and pushed open the door.

The Starbucks was bustling with customers left and right. Ally had to plaster herself to the door she just opened to avoid being ploughed over by rushing caffeine addicts.

Ally scanned the shop instantly for a dark-haired boy with glasses. However, she spotted none. Ally frowned, huffing in annoyance as she got shoved around a little more. He must not be here yet.

Ally took a seat at one of the rare empty tables by the pickup counter. She chose the spot strategically so she could spot anyone coming in or going out of the shop.

However, as twenty or so minutes passed, Ally couldn't spot anyone that looked like Dan from memory. She sighed, glancing at the time on her phone. She felt sleepy, which wasn't good, since it was only early in the morning.

She decided to order a drink.

Ally got up from her seat, her legs feeling fuzzy and numb. She shook them out as she waited in line.

"Hi, what can I get for you today, lovely?" A beautiful dark-skinned lady with a brilliant smile asked. The lady's amber eyes were the colour of liquid gold. Ally couldn't help but smile back.

"Ah, I don't really know," she admitted. "What would you recommend on a day like today?"

The lady's smile never faltered. "Well, if you're feeling frisky, maybe a chai cream frappuccino. But if you want to go _au naturel_ , maybe one of the many passion fruit teas?"

Ally liked the sound of that. But she also liked the sound of a frappuccino. "Ahh, maybe I'll have a caramel frappuccino," Ally said.

"Maybe?" The woman teased her lightly. Ally blushed.

"I'll _definitely_ have a caramel frapp," Ally restated and confirmed. The woman winked and her and wrote down her order on the clear plastic cup.

"Your name, sweetie?"

"Ally." Ally watched as the woman scribbled her name onto the side of the cup.

The woman told Ally her total and as she paid, she heard the door being opened and closed. Ally quickly gave the woman her change and moved into the pickup spot. She craned her neck to look over the heads of some other people for a glance of who might have walked through the door.

Ally sighed as nothing more than a group of old ladies made their way into the shop, hustling and complaining about the cold weather and their aching bones.

Ally sighed, tapping her fingers against the pickup counter. She watched as the old ladies took up an entire table. Some pulled out newspapers while others chatted and knit lovely things with wool.

"Caramel frappuccino for Ally!"

Ally smiled as the barista passed her drink. She grabbed a green straw and turned around so fast she bumped into someone.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry," Ally said, her voice almost shrill.

"Haha, no worries," a guy with floppy orange hair said. He brushed past her and grabbed his drink. A regular chai latte.

Ally went back to her seat and began to sip on her caramel drink. She pursed her lips when another twenty minutes passed. She was beginning to feel lonely.

She decided to check her phone or even shoot Dan a text. When she realized that her phone was dead because she didn't charge it for very long, she grumbled.

"I'm sorry, is this seat taken?" A brunette emerged from the crowd waiting to pick up their orders. Ally was about to say that she was waiting for someone but bit her tongue. Ally quickly scrambled to make her table a little more presentable. A little company wouldn't hurt.

"Oh, no. No, not at all," she said. The brunette sat down, shaking raindrops from her coat.

Ally frowned. "Has it started to rain?"

The brunette laughed. "Welcome to Raincover. It's always raining here," she said. She shook off more droplets of water and sighed. "I was in such a rush this morning."

Ally liked this girl. Striking up a friendly conversation. "If you don't mind me asking; why was that?"

The girl shrugged. "Just a busy morning."

Ally nodded. Fair enough.

Just then, the door of the Starbucks burst open. Ally's head shot up. She glanced at the door, praying to the heavens it was a particular black-haired, glasses-wearing dude.

It was not.

It was in fact a burly-looking, fat man with sunglasses even though it was raining. And he was bald.

Ally sighed, slumping back down into her seat.

"Hey, why the long face?" The brunette asked. She frowned at Ally with concern. Her heart warmed for a second. Maybe she could just talk to a stranger about her problems for a while.

Ally sighed again. She dragged out her words. "I've had a _long_ week. I'm just... really tired."

"Ahh. Tough luck," the brunette said. "I've had quite the week myself." The girl shot her a sharp glance. "Well, if you don't mind me explaining that is."

"I've got all the time in the world," Ally replied. Which was true. Her life was basically over. She lost her chance at a debate scholarship, the guy she thought was Mr. Right turned out to be Mr. Wrong and probably didn't even own a mountain bike, and she basically woke up this morning and found out her entire life was being broadcasted to the dick squad.

She was back at square one.

"Last week my friends and I went out and I had a huge headache the next morning. I didn't even want to go! God, it was horrible," the brunette shook her head. Her brown, wavy hair swayed from side to side. "On top of that, my library fees increased from twenty bucks to twenty-two fifty."

"Dang," Ally said, nearly chuckling. "That's a lot of overdue books."

The girl laughed. "I like to read."

Ally blinked. "Hey, so do I! What's your favourite book?" That was quite a vague question, Ally realized. She could say some random book title she's never heard before; or even a bunch.

"A Tale of Two Cities by—"

"—Charles Dickens."

The brunette's green eyes lit up. "Aye! Big fan of C. Dickens?"

"I've read a few of his books," Ally admitted. At that exact moment, the door of the Starbucks burst open. Ally was sure Dan was going to be strolling in at that exact moment. She lost track of the time, so she wasn't even sure how long she had been waiting.

Ally craned her neck to look over the brunette's head, but the brunette had swivelled around so fast, her long, wavy hair almost smacked Ally in the face. Ally huffed as a construction worker made his way through the door.

The green-eyed brunette huffed as well. She then proceeded to take her phone out and stared at the screen for a bit before tapping in something. Ally sipped her caramel frappuccino.

The air became awkward without anyone talking. Ally grunted then wiped her mouth. "So what are you currently reading?"

The girl sitting across from her looked up. "Oh, I'm reading _Geronimo Stilton_."

Ally nearly spit out her drink. "Isn't that a _kid's_ book with pictures and everything?"

"Ah, I'm just messin' with ya. Something from Moby Dick. I haven't started it yet," the girl confessed. She then proceeded to vigorously type something into her phone.

Ally did a once over of the brunette. She wore nothing that stood out too much, except for her galaxy print scarf. It looked fantastic against the dull gray jacket she had on.

Ally realized that she hadn't ordered anything. She was in a Starbucks, yet had nothing to drink. "Aren't you going to order something?" Ally bit her tongue after the sentence left her mouth. How rude of her to ask. Maybe she was allergic to caffeine or something.

The girl shook her head. She didn't seem to mind the question."I'm actually here to meet someone."

Ally nodded. "Oh, hey. Me too!"

"Yeah?" The brunette raised an eyebrow. "I'm supposed to be meeting this guy today. I think we're finally gonna get out of the friendzone," the girl winked at Ally. Ally laughed.

"Yeah? Well, go get 'em tiger."

The brunette giggled, then she stopped. "I _hope_. I mean, I'm texting him now, but he's not replying. I think he might have stood me up."

Ally shook her head. "Bummer. Well, tell him Ally's gonna give him a piece of her mind if he really did ditch you."

The brunette smiled. "I'll be happy to tell Austin Ally's gonna give him a piece of her mind."

Ally nodded her head appreciatively until she realized what the brunette had said. She was unfortunately sipping her cold drink at the time. Ally choked, coughing and spluttering. She pushed herself away from the table just in case she sent her drink flying into the face of the green-eyed girl. "Excuse me?"

The brunette looked at her with concern, not hearing her question. "Oh my gosh, are you okay? Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh."

Ally waved her hand at the brunette. Heads were beginning to turn their way. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." The brunette sat back down. Ally smoothed out her shirt. "By the way, does this _Austin_ happen to be blond?"

The brunette eyed her and then broke out into a smile. "Yeah, actually. And he's got the most intriguing set of brown eyes I've ever seen."

 _Can't argue with that._

Ally just couldn't wrap her mind around it. Was this the brunette he was talking to at that club she and Elliot were at? Ally suddenly felt extremely hostile towards the girl.

She squinted at her, sizing her up.

But then again, she just admitted he stood her up.

Ally suddenly felt a little better. Just a little.

Ally watched as the brunette shot him a few more texts. The girl frowned after a few minutes of staring at a blank screen.

"Well, I guess he's not showing up. I guess I'll be on my way," the brunette said, sighing. "I'll catch you later, Ally. Maybe we can talk about more books another time," the girl said, flashing her a smile. She gave Ally a business card. She worked in an office.

Ally nodded. "Yeah, I'd love that!" As the brunette retreated, Ally suddenly realized she didn't know her name. She realized she could've just looked at the card but the words were already flying out of her mouth. "Wait! I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name."

"It's Danielle!" The girl called back. "But usually, I go as Dan for short. Better to get Danielle wrong as Dan than Daniel," she said laughing. She flashed Ally another wave then she opened the door to the Starbucks and disappeared.

Dan.

Danielle was Dan.

All of the puzzle pieces suddenly fell into place.

She somehow had been texting this girl ever since that day she came back hungover from that party. And Dan's words about how she and her friends went out last week only confirmed that.

They made plans to meet at this Starbucks. Ally being the person who supposedly stood her up.

None of Dan's texts were going through to the guy because Ally's phone was _dead_.

And somehow, Dan thought _she_ was Austin. Ally was sure of it. Her phone number and Austin's name were probably stuck in her contacts together. Ally thought about all the texts she's sent Dan.

Of course she thought the texts were for her. She had brown eyes, her name started with an A. Dan never figured it out. And she probably never will.

All this time, Ally thought she was texting a guy. And so did Danielle. However, it seemed that they were texting _each other_ thinking that the other was a guy.

But then another question sprung into mind. How did Dan get her phone number?

And why did she think she were texting with _Austin_?

Everything was crashing down on her. Ally wished she'd brought an umbrella. She had no idea it was gonna be raining _cat_ astrophes and fucking dogs.

Ally finished the rest of her caramel frappucino. She couldn't wrap her mind around anything anymore. Next, someone was going to tell her she was in Ecuador and not Canada.

Ally was beginning to feel dizzy again. She was so confused and she felt so played and _cheated_ at the moment she couldn't even stand up straight. She was so overwhelmed.

One thing was for certain though. This all led back to a single person.

Austin Moon.

Ally had to find him. She needed to talk to him. She wasn't sure what she was going to say, or even how she was feeling at the moment. All of her thoughts went a little like: _awuifkmvgfkeofmfrode jdeofruvfn eruowkid_.

Ally stood up abruptly. She grabbed her empty cup, tossed it in the trash and made a mad dash for the front door of the coffee shop. She pushed her way outside and took in a lungful of the musty, damp air.

It had stopped raining.

Ally didn't know where she should be looking. Left? Right? Hotel? Bar?

She felt so dizzy and confused and so _done_ with life that she once again forgot something inside the shop. Her phone was on the table she was sitting at.

Ally went back inside the coffee shop and grabbed her phone. She twisted on her heel and made her way back outside. She had her head down, staring at the screen of her phone.

And because of this, Ally wasn't watching where she was going. She opened the door and ran smack into someone's chest.

Austin Moon.

* * *

 **omg**

 **okay oaky OKAY. Wow! Okay, you gotta give me some credit. If you hadn't figured out who Dan was by the time Ally figured it out then I must've done a good job at keeping Dan a mystery right? Pls. I feel like halfway through this chapter you would've put the pieces together yourself, anyway. Oh well.**

 **I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. It personally fucks me up. And I wrote it.**

 **Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

 _ **now**_


	13. xiii

**HEY**

 **Helloooooooooooo! Friends! :D I'm having an awesome day! I hope you are too! If not, this chapter will surely brighten you day... Maybe. Depends on your definition of brighten and whatnot.**

 **Enjoy! I don't own anything.**

* * *

As she realized just who she bumped into, Ally basically tackled him to the ground.

And because he had his arms behind his back, they made a great surface for having contact with the pavement. Ally wasn't sure how it looked, but they tumbled about four feet to the right of the Starbucks entrance.

He wore this red plaid shirt that was in no way helping her anger. He didn't have a hat on, surprisingly. And his jeans actually had more fabric than holes.

"You!" Ally gasped, pointing a finger at his chest. She— of course— ended up sprawled on top of him. Austin grunted his response.

"Glad to see you too, what's new?" He asked sarcastically. Ally eyed him for a moment. He had a bruise on his chin and a cut that ran from his temple to just above his eyebrow. Ally frowned for a moment until she remembered that he practically whooped Elliot's sorry ass.

"You know, for such a lightweight, you're crushing me," Austin muttered.

Ally huffed, scrambling back up on her feet. She made no attempt to help Austin up, even though it looked as if he's hiding something behind his back.

"You!" Ally said again, still pointing at him with her finger. She didn't know what to say. Her mind was a mess. "You-you _asshole_."

Austin frowned, rolling his eyes. "Oh come on, what did I do this time?"

Ally couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

Ally threw her hands up in the air. "You-you— and then— Piper and the dicks— but then, that brunette at the club— and Elliot and his sister and— then, oh my god, _Dan_ — but then— how— what?" Ally was so confused at this point. She felt destroyed not knowing what was going on.

She felt dizzy again. And vomit.

"Slow down," Austin said, laughing a little. He was _laughing_. Ally took a shaky breath.

Ally felt faint. She closed her eyes. "Austin? Can you _please_ tell me what's going on?" She sounded so _whiny_. Ally couldn't believe she just resorted to begging. She was better than this. Right?

Alas, it were true. Austin Moon finally destroyed her.

Austin's eyes showed nothing. No hint of any emotion named. Ally on the other hand, probably reflected crazy, desperate, confused, tortured, angry, sad, malicious.

Time seemed to slow in the next few frames of Ally's life. Austin revealed his right arm, which had a bouquet of lilies and orchids, all in full blossom and fully fragrant. Ally instantly grasped the bouquet of flowers and pulled them to her nose for a long sniff.

"My favourites," she said skeptically.

"I know," Austin said slowly. He gave her a look Ally could only describe as _endearing_. It took her breath away.

Ally eyed him, waiting for whatever was behind his left arm, but he kept it there.

"Since I just saw Danielle walking away from here, I figured you must have found out," Austin said. There was a hint of regret in his voice. Ally waited for him to continue, using the flowers to distract herself.

Austin's mouth opened and closed, but no words seem to be forming into sentences. They came out as one-syllable noises. Ally impatiently tapped her foot on the pavement, trying to look as menacing as possible.

Austin scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not good with this confession kinda stuff," he muttered. Ally raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," she nearly spat out the word. "Tell me everything," she said. Even though the flowers were absolutely _lovely_ , she was still mad at Austin. But they did distract her from her anger.

Austin sighed and he dropped his right hand. Ally spied a bruise on his knuckle. "Well. I guess this started the day I brought you to that party," Austin said. Again the regret filled his voice and Ally wished it would stop.

"That was awful, by the way."

"Anyway. I brought you to that with good intentions, you know?" Austin said. He was looking everywhere but at her. "Like I genuinely wanted to have a good time and all," he laughed. Of course. Party boy at heart. "Then I lost you to those two drinks and a crowd of Canadians."

"And then well. An hour later there was this girl who just _wouldn't stop hitting on me_ ," Austin said, without the slightest bit of exaggeration in his voice. He shook his head. "She'd been following me all night," Austin muttered.

"And since we were just reassigned buddies, I still had your phone number you wrote and gave to me on that piece of paper. And well, I just gave that to the girl."

Ally coughed. "You _what_?"

Austin held up his hand. "And then I thought; _what better way to get to know Ally then help her figure out who this person is?_ _I can hang out with her and text this girl for her and she'll never know. The girl'll think she's texting me anyway._ "

Ally frowned. That's why Dan wasn't scared shitless when Austin answered her call that day at the museum. Dan was expecting a male voice anyway.

"And I wasn't really thinking when I did that—"

"No shit."

"—But I kind of liked the idea of you needing me," Austin said, his voice soft. Ally blinked. There was a light, crimson blush creeping on his cheeks. Ally's eyes softened.

"But then _hi ho_ , Elliot appears out of no- _fucking_ -where and _doesn't_ ruin the scheme of things, but rattles the plan for a bit," Austin sighed. His right hand flew to his mouth and he bit his thumb. Ally noticed this habit the day they rode around in that cab together for their cultural stuff-thingy assignment.

 _Cultural stuff-thingy assignment. Smooth._

"What's with you and Elliot?" Ally asked, because she just really wanted to know. Just as Austin was about to answer, Ally held up a hand. "And don't give me that _he's a fucking idiot_ crap."

"But he _is_ a fucking idiot. Jesus Christ, do you know why he's in fucking _Canada_? He got kicked out of school because he got some girl pregnant on the last debate trip."

Ally choked on a flower petal. She looked up at him sharply." _What?_ " She spluttered.

Austin grumbled. He counted them off his fingers."Got this girl pregnant, got this other girl to get him a restraining order _against herself_ , got this _other_ girl—"

"I get it," Ally said a little too quickly. She didn't need to hear Elliot's crimes. She was relieved for a second she didn't turn into one of those _other girl_ s.

"He's a fucking liar and a cheater. God. I used to be _friends_ with him," Austin muttered. He seemed disgusted with himself. "We used to hang out all the time and he was actually interesting and fun," Austin trailed off, shaking his head.

Ally understood. She put the pieces together herself. Elliot didn't have a sister. He probably doesn't even go mountain biking either.

"And well, back then, there was this girl," Austin said, his voice growing quiet. Ally blinked at the word _girl_. She gripped the flowers tighter. "And I wasn't really into her, nor was Elliot until he found out _she_ liked me better than him. And that was the last straw for him, apparently. He can't stand when someone doesn't like him."

Ally's brain processed his words. So that was the _she_ they were talking about yesterday.

There was a short pause. Austin seemed to be collecting his thoughts. Ally was doing the same. Her thoughts were so scattered and far apart she didn't know which piece of the puzzle she was even looking at.

"So that day at the club— yesterday— Jesus Christ, I saw _him_ with _you_. Fuck," Austin said. Ally flinched. The way he let that swear out made her legs grow weak. He scowled. Ally didn't like how that looked on him. "I kept trying to warn you, but your pretty stubborn _ass_ wouldn't let me get a single word in."

Ally shrunk down, shivering at the memory. She looked up at him. "Sorry?"

Austin gave her a look with his eyes that made her insides twist and disappear. Her legs felt too weak to hold herself up. Ally couldn't breathe when she looked at him.

"Right," Austin scoffed, scowling again. "I swear to the fucking heavens if he laid a finger on you I was going to—"

"But who was that brunette you were with yesterday?" She suddenly felt defensive again. He was with another fucking girl. _Maybe she was Dan?_ The moment of safety Ally felt passed just as fast as it was being lived.

Austin's face lit up. He scratched the back of his neck."That's my cousin. On the _other_ side of my family. Yeah. I barely get to see her at all since we hang out with my dad's side of the family so much."

Again, choking on the flower petal. "Your _cousin_?" All of the revelations made sense, which was the reason _why_ Ally was choking. It made perfect sense. All of it. She felt like such an idiot. However, there were more questions lined up for interrogation.

"Look Ally, I'm really sorry," Austin said, sighing a little. Ally wished he would stop doing that. His soft sigh made Ally want to comfort him and hold him so maybe she could run her fingers through that hair.

"I just. I don't know," Austin mumbled. "When I gave Danielle your number. I thought, maybe this could be my chance to spend time with you without you having the urge to kick me in the ass."

"I've always had the urge to kick you in the ass," Ally said. Although, she felt a little moved by his words. He _wanted_ to spend time with her. His eyes were downcast. Ally didn't know if she liked it that way or not.

"But that's the thing. You've always wanted to kick my butt. How was I supposed to—" Austin mumbled something unintelligible. "Forget it. Just—" He fumbled with something behind his back. Ally almost forgot about that.

He thrust something into her hands. Ally's eyes registered it immediately. " _Pride and Prejudice_ ," she said, her eyebrows furrowing.

"It's yours," he said. "I picked it up when you dropped it while we were running away from—"

Ally couldn't help it. After she made sure the note from her mom was still written on the second page, she cut him off with a big hug. Austin groaned, catching her and holding her in place before they went tumbling to the ground again. "My— but— I thought I lost this, oh my god." She beamed at him, her anger disappearing. Austin smiled, but it looked a little forced.

"I read it," Austin said, still holding her close. "I can see why you're so into books, know-it-all. They're interesting. Especially this one."

Austin let her go. Ally, still clutching her book, noticed his foot scraping on the pavement. "Look, I'm sorry, again, Ally. I just." Austin took a deep breath. "I just liked the idea of you needing me. I liked the idea of helping you find that perfect guy through this mess. I just—"

"Wait wait wait," Ally shook her head. Her curls billowing in the wind. Another thought sprung to mind. "Backtrack a little with me. Your cousin's wedding."

Austin seemed to be holding his breath. "Yeah?"

"You-you," Ally fumbled to find a word that wasn't so awkward. "You _kissed_ me. And-and—" Ally had trouble finding adequate vocabulary to describe how she felt. She could feel Austin's lips on hers as she replayed that moment over and over; how he kissed her in front of his entire family. She put a hand on her forehead, closing her eyes. "Please don't make me continue, I think you know what I'm saying."

Austin didn't say anything, which worried Ally. She waited a little while longer before opening her eyes. "Ally."

She opened her eyes. His own bore into her that it caught her off guard.

Austin took a deep breath. His voice was no more than a soft whisper carried to her ears by the wind. "Ally, I kissed you because I _like_ you. I've liked you from the moment you stepped foot into school." His eyes were so soft, searching hers.

"The moment I stepped foot into school I got hit in the head by a football thrown by Gavin that was meant for _you_ ," she grumbled. Although, she let his words play back in her mind; _I kissed you because I like you._

Her heart fluttered. Ally suddenly had trouble breathing. She studied his face. All of the walls she's seen seem to be crumbling. She felt tingly all over.

"Ally," Austin said, sighing. "I-I. Look at you!" He said suddenly, pointing at her, gesturing wildly. He turned away, pacing a little. "Just look at you. You're all smart and an ace in debate. You're probably going to Harvard, you read books in your spare time, you-you— probably save cats from trees." He bit his thumb, his face troubled.

"I don't do that," Ally muttered.

"Goddamn it, Ally!" Austin exploded, his face turning red. His voice took on a desperate tone."I have this speech written down and memorized, stop interrupting me!" Austin took a long breath. Ally held back a nervous giggle because it totally wasn't appropriate. "I gave Dan your number because I wanted to spend time with you. Look at you. How was someone like you ever going to like someone like me?"

Ally heard the sincerity in his voice. Austin actually _liked_ her. "But you've been torturing me since freshman year."

"I teased you because I liked you. You always bounced back, you never seemed to let the teasing get to you. You intrigue me, Ally." He spun around. Austin took a step closer to her. "You're so smart, and beautiful and I _can't_ get you out of my head. I think I might go crazy if I have another dream about you." She gasped at their close proximity. Ally felt her heartbeat increase. Her hands holding her book and the flowers were beginning to get clammy.

Ally watched as Austin invaded her comfort zone. He cupped her chin gently. She met his eyes. "Since you're such a know-it-all, tell me how to get you out of my head," he said. His voice was a rumble at the back of his throat.

Ally swallowed. She could feel his breath on her face. She was still holding the flowers and her book and she was still a little confused, but much more relieved and a little nervous now. "I don't think I've figured that out yet."

"Goddamn it," Austin murmured. Ally held her breath. Austin slowly lowered his head, his hands coming around behind her and getting tangled in her curls. They closed their eyes at the same time. Ally would allow this.

A thought shattered her mind. It pierced through her brain like a bullet.

Ally suddenly shoved Austin away with the back of her hands holding the flowers. "No. No, no, no, no!" Ally muttered.

Austin, blinking away something in his eyes, frowned. He bit his lip.

Ally stumbled blindly, throwing her hands up in the air. It probably looked silly with her arms full, but she didn't really care anymore.

"You-you— _Piper_! You texted Piper this morning. You said something about it being a mistake!" Ally felt paranoid again. She walked right over to him and shoved him again. Her blood boiled. She pointed her pinky finger at his chest. "Stop. Doing. This."

Austin caught her hand. He looked a little bewildered. "Ally, listen to me. You said you read a text from Piper?"

Ally nodded, she felt a little bit hurt. Here he was saying he liked her, yet she couldn't shake the feeling he'd been blabbing about it somewhere else. She rolled her eyes, hiding her hurt feelings. "You should really lock your phone," she whispered, her voice cracking.

A grin spread across Austin's features. The dimples were back. He grabbed her other hand. "I think you've already met Piper."

"Well, yeah. I go to school with her, she's blonde and _annoying_ and we got 97 on that project about—"

"No, I mean my _cousin_ Piper. She's the one I was with yesterday. We're really close. And I guess I've always confided in her with my troubles. I don't know. After a while, the thing about Dan. I figured lying to you was a big mistake. And-and I didn't really know how to tell you."

Ally felt so stupid. She wanted to turn away and bury herself in a hole. "How many goddamn cousins do you have?" Austin got a distant look in his eyes and Ally spied his fingers shooting up and down. "You don't actually have to count." Austin blushed.

There was a moment of silence. Ally collected enough thoughts at this point.

Ally suddenly felt a whole lot better. She let out a breath of relief. "So what I'm hearing is that I trouble you," she smirked at him. Austin blinked, but then he blushed again. Ally thought that was the most adorable thing he's done all day.

"Every single night for the past few days now, yeah?"

"Hmm," Ally muttered. She stepped closer to Austin. He blinked at her, but then a hard look appeared in his eyes. They made her insides turn into _mush_.

"I guess my plan didn't go accordingly," Austin murmured. They were inches apart. Ally clutched the flowers so hard, she felt a few stems snapping under the colourful paper. "This was supposed to end with a big gesture that makes you fall madly in love with me."

"Is that so?" Ally murmured. She could feel herself crumbling under his influence. She was falling too hard. "I guess we could... improvise."

Before her words registered a sense of meaning in Austin's head, Ally stood up on her tippy toes and pressed her lips to his. Immediately she felt that nervous flutter in her chest that happened every time she kissed Austin. Austin placed his hands firmly on her hips, rubbing a tantalizing circle with his thumb against her hip bone.

The kiss was sweet, and gentle, and it made Ally itch. She knew Austin's mouth was capable of better things. A lot better.

"I'm sorry, again, Ally. For being an asshole," Austin murmured against her lips.

Ally pulled away. She let him rest his forehead against hers. "Stop apologizing, you're always in asshole," she shook her head, laughing a little.

"Is that so?" He mimicked her from earlier. Austin looked at her, a grin on his face. He kept his hands on her waist, still doing that thing with his thumb that was making her squeamish because it felt _good_.

After a short pause that involved rubbing noses— something Ally didn't know she needed more of— Austin sighed, "You wanna get out of here?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Ally muttered. She felt dazed. But in a good way. Austin had a tendency to do that to her.

The walk from the cafe to the hotel was a lot shorter when you weren't moping about your life and pretending it was a sad montage while leaves rained down around you, yet never touching you.

They kept their hands connected in the elevator, but put a lot of distance between them otherwise. Ally couldn't help but steal a glance at Austin. A lot of weight lifted from his face recently.

The elevator stopped at Ally's floor first. They both got off and walked to her door. Austin fidgeted with his thumbs.

With her hands full, it was hard to get the door open. Ally struggled with getting her key out of her pocket and into the keyhole. She grumbled. "Hurry up," she heard Austin mutter.

"Why?" Ally asked. Her voice was muffled by her book between her teeth. She nearly dropped her flowers as the key slipped into the opening.

"So I can make out with you."

The door sprung open.

Instantly, Austin had her pinned against the door of her suite. Ally dropped her flowers and flung her book somewhere.

"Austin."

"Know-It-Ally."

"It's just Ally."

Austin smirked, his eyes dark. "Is it, now?" Austin let his right hand slowly dance behind her hand before coming to a rest at the back of her head. He tangled his fingers into her hair and slowly pulled it back a little to expose her neck. Ally made a noise at the back of her throat. The intensity of his eyes made her want to vanish.

 _Vamoose._

His lips attack the junction of her throat and shoulder. Ally gasped, her legs having trouble holding herself up. Austin's nose brushed her neck and Ally felt a shiver run up and down her spine. "Austin," she murmured.

Then, he pressed his lips against hers, stealing a taste of her strawberry lip gloss. Her mouth parted and she felt like disappearing all over again. Ally reached up to run her hand through his hair, letting it trail down his arm keeping her captive.

She can safely assure that Austin's hair felt better in real life than in her dreams.

Austin's lips slowly traveled from her mouth to kiss the side of her mouth, then her cheek, then the line of her jaw. His weight was crushing her into the wall, his knee digging a path between her legs so he could get even closer to her.

Ally found her hands looped around his neck. She'd later admit she'd have a thing for his blond, hay-coloured hair. She gasped when he hooked her leg smoothly around his waist with his left arm, the other following in suit.

"You're so pretty," Austin murmured. His nose brushed hers. Ally opened her eyes to find him staring at her with such an intensity that she forgot how to breathe. Coherent thoughts scrambled to form a sentence.

Ally hummed, her thoughts feeling jumbled. "You think I'm pretty?"

With her legs locked around his waist, she could only blink as Austin took three huge steps backwards, his eyes locked on hers. The back of his knee hit the edge of her bed. He sat down, pulling her leg back around so she was seated on his lap. A hiss escaped her.

With her back firmly pressed against his chest and his hands dancing on her stomach, it took all of Ally's willpower not to combust.

"I think," Austin murmured. He went back to attacking her neck. Ally took in a shuddering breath. "You're beautiful—" His mouth moved to her jaw. "Smart, funny, cunning—" Her cheek. "Feisty, impulsive—" Her temple, her forehead, her nose. Finally, after making Ally _melt_ on the spot, Austin sighed, letting his fingers gently tap her stomach. "And an absolute know-it-all."

"Is that so?" Time to be impulsive. Ally swung her leg back around his waist so she was straddling him. Austin blinked as she suddenly pushed him back over her bed and kissed him roughly. She kissed his mouth, his jaw, that spot where his dimple appeared and disappeared.

Currently, it was present.

"Ally." Austin said her name in a way that made her want to _die._ He gripped her shoulders and slowly helped her shrug off her trench coat. Ally's heart hammered against her chest when she felt his hands on her waist again.

They tumbled into the center of her bed. A question popped into her mind. But just as she was about to say something, Austin— of course— flipped them over and loomed over her. Ally's thoughts scattered.

"Where's your hat?" She asked the first thing that came to mind. _Such a stupid question._ Ally fought off the blush that was rising to her cheeks.

Austin made it so hard for her to live. His nose skimmed the edge of her jaw before he answered. "Mmmit's— it's somewhere." It sounded like he was trying to calm his breathing as well.

"Very detailed."

"Thanks."

While he let his nose skim her collar, Austin worked his thumb into her hip bone again, which made Ally twist against the sheets of her bed. She played with the top button of his shirt, undoing it purposefully. The second one followed in suit.

Austin raised his head, his hair tumbling over her face. It tickled her cheek. Austin raised an eyebrow. "Anxious, aren't we?"

Ally rolled her eyes. "Please, it should be _you_ who's anxious. You, after all, _like me_." At her mock words, Austin blushed wildly. Ally found it absolutely _adorable_. She let her hand run through his hair, messing it up. "Aw, the big ol' tough guy's got a soft side!"

"Ally!" Austin whined. Just as she was about to make some smart-mouth comeback, he slowly brought his lips back down to hers. Ally feeling a little more accustomed to his kisses, still felt her breath being taken away every time it happened.

The feel of his lips in the moment caught Ally off guard. His tongue roamed wildly in the heat of the passion. Ally's breath stuttered.

She worked off four buttons on his shirt, letting her eyes roam over his chest. Austin was busy slipping his hand under the gray t-shirt she hastily thrown off after trashing her teal dress. Ally squirmed under his touch before he just decided to take off her shirt.

Ally gasped. The cool air hit her skin, but was soon replaced by the stuffiness of her suite room. She finished undoing the rest of the buttons keeping Austin's shirt intact.

Ally suddenly felt extremely nervous. It made her insides twist and her toes curl. Austin worked miracles against her jaw. His fingers slipped under the waistband of her leggings. Ally probably made a whimpering noise. She realized her bra and panties didn't match.

 _Oh well._

Austin flung his shirt across the room. Ally's eyes widened, her lungs having trouble processing the air. Austin was fit and lean under his clothes, a bruise or two shattered the image of his perfect stomach. His arms were taunt and smooth. It was hard to describe Austin to someone who's never seen him before.

Exotic, mysterious, taunting.

 _You forgot delicious._

 _Hah._

 _But fuck, you're right._

Austin pushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Ally snapped out of her fuzzy daze only to find his eyes zeroing in on her with a shattering intensity. Ally held his gaze, even though she felt like exploding. Ally couldn't stand the tension, so she sat up and connected their lips again, her hand flying to the back of his head.

"You've got... to stop... doing that," Austin murmured against her lips. "Or else... I'm not... going to have... enough energy... to stop myself." Austin sounded like he was having trouble collecting his thoughts. She didn't blame him.

"Maybe I don't want you to stop," she murmured back. She was surprised by her sudden desire. Austin suddenly pulled away from her and licked his lips. Ally swore he licked the strawberry lip gloss right off her lips. He smirked at her as Ally frowned. And then, with two of his big hands, nearly covering the circumference of her waist, Austin tugged her leggings off.

And she gasped again. Austin ran his hand along her thigh. And then he smirked. Ally let out a groan of frustration. "Oh my god." Her back arched when his nose brushed her thigh.

His wild hair only made Ally feel like squirming even more. Not to mention he still had his fucking jeans on. Austin eyes softened when he saw her all flushed and sweaty and just _there_.

Austin sat back on his haunches and tried to slow his breathing. Ally let out a breath at the loss. Partly because she was cold, partly because the electricity in his touch has gotten her all buzzed. "Hey!"

Austin smirked at her. He was looking at her, but not meeting her eyes. He was staring at a spot on her neck. Ally rolled her eyes. "My eyes are up here."

"Although, I do agree that your eyes are _stunning_ , I feel the rest of you is just breathtaking," Austin muttered. Ally felt a blush rise to her cheeks again. Even though she was sitting in nothing more than her undergarments, with half the day wasted in her own bed already, she never felt more alive.

Austin hasn't seen impulsive yet.

Ally jumped him right when he turned around to run a hand through his hair. Austin let out a grunt of surprise as they tumbled off her bed and to the ground, the sheets cushioning their fall by a landslide.

"Jesus Christ," Austin moaned. It was Ally's turn to smirk now as she straddled him again, and made sure, under no possible circumstance could he flip them over.

Ally leaned down and planted a kiss square on his jaw before letting her mouth travel up his cheek to the corner of his mouth and then his lips. It was her turn to do the teasing. She let her hands run up and down his hard stomach before giving him a playful glare, batting her eyes innocently.

Austin shut his eyes. As Ally coaxed for another appearance of his dimples, Austin turned his head slowly to the side and squinted. With his hands on her hips he smirked at her.

"You really do have a tub," he said. Ally got a small flashback from the first moment he said that.

Ally gave him a small pout. "I could've taken a bath in all this time I've wasted."

"Could I join you?"

"As if," Ally murmured. She was getting lost in the depths of his brown eyes. Although in plain sight they seemed to be holding a cocky glance, however, when Ally pushed deeper, she could see hope and sincerity buried in its depth.

"Hey, I'm not kidding." Austin smirked. "This tub business is a luxury. You, me, some foamy bubbles..." Apparently, she wasn't doing a good job at keeping him grounded. Austin flipped them over and pressed her back into the ground of her suite, the sheets crumpled beneath her.

Ally couldn't remember what she was supposed to say after that. She marvelled at his eyes roaming her face for her answer. "Hilarious," she whispered with a slight stutter. The smirk suddenly disappeared off Austin's face. His hands gripped her bare waist.

"Please?" Austin asked, with a pout, his eyes bright. Ally moaned. _The pout. The fucking pout._ Austin insisted even further by placing his head under the crook of her neck and nudging his nose against her collarbone. His legs trapped hers under them so there was nowhere to run. His hand ran up and down her side. Ally squirmed.

Ally ran her hand through his hair and grit her teeth. "Fine," she muttered. She could feel the flames licking her face as she gave in.

Austin smiled at her; an impish grin. "So, have you fallen madly in love with me yet?"

Ally groaned, covering her scarlet-red face with her hands. "Don't make me regret this. You still haven't even taken off your pants, asshole." As soon as she pointed it out, the weight over her body lifted. She watched as Austin's pants went flying over her head and she heard a tap being turned on in her washroom.

"Holy fuck! Complimentary soaps and everything!"

Ally grumbled, yet a small smile danced on her lips.

* * *

 **lol**

 **How was that? Did you see any of that coming? The revelations, not the make out scene, you rat. Just kidding. Love u.**

 **Also, I just want to address a little easter egg I put in chapter 5 during Ally and Elliot's date. If you were paying attention— or even remember— you would know that they cracked open two fortune cookies. Elliot's fortune referred to how all of the effort he was making in trying to woo over Ally wasn't going to work. Ally's fortune referred to how Austin ignored her (all the time's he's just mysteriously disappeared from the chapters), and then how he suddenly brings her to his family's wedding and ya know... ;) and lastly the part about her winning well... I think you know how she wins.**

 **ALSO. I'm sad to say that this is the second last chapter of the story! :( The next chapter will be the end. :(((((**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

 _ **likes bubble baths and lathering**_


	14. xiv

**:-)**

 **Hello friends! It's finally here. The final chapter of this story! I literally only finished writing this on Saturday. Ahhh.**

 **Enjoy! I don't own anything!**

* * *

Ally placed her pink shirt on top of the pile and then stopped to admire her work.

Sunday; their last day in Vancouver.

Ally was packing her belongings; her clothes, her books, her personal belongings, random knick-knacks she's found. Everything fit neatly and nicely into her suitcase. Ally huffed as she placed the last of her books into the black case. She wiped sweat from her forehead.

Packing was a workout.

The debate team was to walk out as a group to the airport in a few hours. Ally had already started packing yesterday night after Austin finally left her alone for more than five minutes.

At the thought of Austin, a shiver ran down her spine. That boy knew twisted and exhilarating ways.

Ally placed the last of her clothes into her suitcase. Only then did she realize that she was still in her pajamas and that most of her clothes were packed tightly at the bottom of her suitcase under all of her books and belongings. She smacked a hand on her forehead.

Ally quickly changed out of her pajamas and dug through her luggage for the first thing on the pile of clothing.

Austin's shirt and Adidas track pants.

Ally bit her lip before shaking her head. _What the heck?_ She pulled his shirt over her head and slipped into his track pants. Ally grinned as she found his snapback from the day at the art gallery wedged between her books in her nightstand.

She could pass as an Austin Moon imposter.

Well, aside from the maple breath.

Ally frowned at the huge snapback that was way too big for her head. She readjusted the fitting until it was snug on her head. Perfect. Ally left her hair the way it was before returning to packing her carry on.

Ally chucked everything she owned left that wasn't already packed into her bag. Her water bottle, her scarf- in case it got cold, her extra pens, paper and of course, her current read.

When she finished with that, her phone buzzed. Ally walked over to where it was charging on the nightstand, only to find even more clothes hidden in a pile under her bed. Ally gaped at it.

Since when did she have so many t-shirts?

She sighed, deciding to pack after a little texting break. Ally wiped the screen of her phone with her thumb. Trish was asking her if she wanted to go shopping.

 _i already packed tho_

 _c'mon it'll be fun_

 _by fun do you mean fun for you or fun for me_

 _fun for me_

Ally hesitated.

 _i'll think about it_

Trish texted her back the location where they were meeting up and Ally promised to text her back if she did decided to go.

When Trish stopped texting her, Ally sighed and returned to the pile of surprise shirts she found on the floor. There were only a few- maybe three or four- but now she had to flip the shirts inside out, unpack her luggage, squeeze the shirts in, _re_ pack, and hope everything fits.

Ally sat down on the floor cross-legged, slouching over the shirts. She sighed as she turned them inside out, trying to finish the task as fast as possible.

Just then, someone knocked on her door.

"It's open," Ally called over her shoulder. As the person stepped into the room without greeting, Ally assumed it was room service. Sometimes they greeted her, sometimes they kept to themselves.

Before Ally could reassure her thoughts, an arm snaked around her waist, lifting her a good few inches off the ground. Ally's leg's instinctively kicked out, which was good as she was suddenly flipped over so she landed on her stomach on the ground. Ally didn't have time to think as she was- again- suddenly flipped over like a pancake so she was on her back.

Before she could even _blink_ Ally felt a pair of soft lips give her a gentle kiss. Ally sighed, savouring the taste of maple on his lips.

"Good morning," Austin murmured. Ally opened her eyes. When Austin saw that her eyes were open, he smirked. Ally rolled her eyes, shoving Austin off of her.

"You could have said that like a normal person instead of pulling me away from what I was doing and throwing me on the ground," Ally huffed. She sat up, taking off the snapback, flipping her hair out of her face and resumed her work of folding clothes.

"What's the fun in doing that, sweetheart?" Austin asked. He sat back on his haunches before going cross-legged like her.

Ally wrinkled her nose even though her back was now turned towards him. "Sweetheart?"

Austin frowned, then looked down at his open palm. A pen that stuck out of his back pocket suddenly was scribbling ink onto his hand. "Apparently, you don't like the nicknames baby, sweetie, honey..." Austin stuck his tongue out as he scribbled on his hand. "Or sweetheart."

Ally cocked her head. It was true. She hated all of those.

Ally went back to packing but not before giving Austin an innocent shrug of her shoulder. She heard him shuffle around her carpet a bit before she saw the top of the bed dip before her eyes.

Austin had taken a flying leap for her bed and landed on his back.

"Austin!" Ally scolded him. It wasn't that she minded, it's just the dust that she could see because of the sunlight made her feel uncomfortable. _My nose is itchy_.

"What?" He asked. "Just testing to see if all the beds feel the same," he said. Ally remembered when Austin had asked if all the beds felt the same during his half-drunken state. Austin pushed a fist into the mattress. "Feels the same." He stretched over the comforter. "Comforts the same."

Ally rolled her eyes, though he was acting so _adorable_ she couldn't help but chuckle. "Lick it and see if it tastes the same, why don't ya?"

He didn't hear her. "Made of the same material, I suppose." Austin sniffed the pillow and then recoiled. " _Woah_ , definitely smells different." He took another sniff of the pillow. "Yup, definitely different."

Ally frowned, she was still folding her shirts. Two more to go. "What's that supposed to mean?"

There was a pause. "It smells different because it smells like you."

Ally blinked. "Makes sense," she mumbled. She tucked the last of her shirts back into her suitcase before zipping up the sides. Only the sides wouldn't zip. Ally clenched her teeth together, pressing one hand firmly on the top of the suitcase.

The zippers wouldn't budge.

Ally groaned. "Let me help," Austin piped up from her bed. He must've been watching her struggle the entire time. That thought made Ally huff.

Austin rolled off her bed. His ass landed on her suitcase. Ally, used to screaming at him, was confused for a second before she understood what he wanted her to do. Ally quickly found the zippers on the side of her suitcase and eased them together.

"Thanks," Ally huffed. She was sweating from all of that hard work. Austin tapped her on the nose. Startled, Ally looked up.

"Say your thanks up here," he said, tapping his lips and shooting her a half-grin, half-cocky smile. Ally rolled her eyes, lifting her head to press her lips to his.

She closed her eyes as she felt Austin relax. He was still sitting on her luggage.

Ally was about to pull away when suddenly Austin leaned in closer. He swiped his tongue over her upper lip. Captivated, Ally felt her mouth slowly part as his hands reached over to cup her face. Austin rubbed his thumb into her cheek.

Ally let out a small whimper. She let her hands roam. They ran up the expanse of his arm, not missing a single dip of his bicep. She ran her hands through his hair, tugging and kneading her fingers through his thick blond mane.

And suddenly, Austin was tumbling off of her luggage. He leaned forward too much and was basically falling over her.

Which was fine by her.

Austin placed both hands on either side of her, trapping her between the floor and him. Austin grinned. He was relentless with her lips. Ally was constantly gasping for breath.

She groaned when Austin wrapped a handful of her hair around his and gently guided her head to the side, exposing her neck. The softness of his lips made her squirm. Ally ran her hands through his hair again to hide the fact that she was _trembling_.

What left Ally really squeamish was his nose nuzzling her collarbone. She's had enough. Ally abruptly pushed Austin off of her, sending him tumbling away. He pouted at her. "What was that for?" He asked innocently, his face flushed; though his smirk said otherwise. She was probably all flustered and out of breath.

"Get out," Ally grumbled, pointing her finger at the door. "I need to finish packing—"

"Your luggage is already packed."

"—And I don't need any more distractions."

Austin blinked. However a slow smile suddenly spread across his features, making his dimples appear. Ally bit her lip to keep from jumping his bones. "So I'm a distraction."

"Austin, get out," Ally groaned, burying her face in her hands. She was fighting off an embarrassed smile. The butterflies in her stomach flipped and did three-sixties.

Ally heard Austin shuffle on the floor and get up. "Is that my hat?" He asked suddenly. Ally was confused at first, her hands flying to her head where his snapback was missing in action. She glanced across the floor and found it lying on the carpet. She huffed, turning back to him.

"And your pants," she grinned at him, kicking out to show off her track pants-covered legs. "And your shirt," she gave him a cheeky grin. Austin looked astounded for a moment for shaking his head knowingly. "I kind of borrowed them."

"And when were you planning to return them?"

Ally bit her lip. _Never._ Ally opened her mouth, planning to say something like _I'll wash them and then return them to you_ , but Austin saved her the trouble.

"Ah, keep them. They look better on you," he said gently. Ally felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Austin gave her a soft smile before walking over to her and kissing her on the cheek. "Have fun packing, know-it-all." He disappeared out the door.

Maybe there was a nickname she liked after all.

* * *

Ally decided to take part in Trish's offer to go shopping. She vowed not to buy anything however, and to only spend a few minutes- an hour maximum- there. She wanted to save her energy for the plane ride and the jet lag to come.

Trish was blabbing non-stop to Jace who walked beside the curly-haired Latina. Ally listened intently, happy for the first time in a while.

Ally wandered around with the two aimlessly for a bit, occasionally nodding her head and listening to their conversation. Ally felt so giddy and full of it. She got a sudden burst of energy. She felt invincible; like she could do anything.

Ally liked the feeling.

"She's doing it again."

"Hey! Hey! Earth to Ally." A hand waved across her face. It took Ally three seconds to realize there was actually something in front of her face. Ally snapped her head to look at Trish who was waving her palm in front of her eyes. "Earth to Ally."

"What is it, Houston?" She asked, playing along. Trish rolled her eyes.

"Get your head out of the clouds." Trish shook her head. "You almost walked right into a group of old people."

Ally blinked, turning around. A group of men and woman with walkers and canes passed her, grumbling. Some elders even shook their heads at her. Ally felt embarrassed. "Oops."

Jace walked along, glancing at some pastries through the window of a bakery shop they stopped in front of. Trish walked over to Ally and gave her head a gentle knock. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Ally blinked. If Trish could read her thoughts, she'd be seeing a lot of blond and kissing and skin and crumpled sheets. And maybe some sinful things that would make her want to run to the priests and beg for forgiveness. Ally abruptly cut her thoughts off.

God, if Trish could read her thoughts.

"I—"

"I?"

"You didn't let me finish."

"What were you gonna say?"

"I..." Ally trailed off. "I think... we should..." Ally looked around. She spotted Jace looking at one of the many sponge cakes on display. "We should grab a bite!"

Trish narrowed her eyes and sighed. "Alright then, Ally." The two walked into the bakery. "I hope this doesn't have anything to do with _Austin Moon_."

Ally had told Trish all about her wild days all in a single phone call that lasted three hours. She was up, silently screaming to Trish and packing all at the same time. Trish, listening intently, only made grunts of approval and ' _oh no he didn't_ 's at the appropriate times.

"Pfft. Of course not." She waved her hand dismissively in front of Trish's face. Ally turned away to hide the blush on her cheeks. "Let's just grab a bite and get out of here. We've got two hours until we're due at the airport."

"Whatever you say," Trish said sarcastically after a short pause. Ally could _hear_ Trish's eyes rolling.

As the three paid for their pastries- Jace with a serving of strawberry sponge cake, Trish with a chocolate croissant and Ally with a slice of lemon cake- Ally thought about what a fun trip she's had.

She's had the most fun she's had in a while. Heck, this topped last year's debate trip times ten. Last year, she was just cooped in her hotel suite reading _Gone with the Wind_ and _The Outsiders_ and crying because poor old Johnny. This year, however, she's jumped so far from her comfort zone, she wasn't sure she could find her way back, even with a map.

She's seen and done and _experienced_ so many new things. She tried alcohol for the first time, believe it or not. And she's been to an open-mic night. Ally's got a lot of stories to tell her grandkids now. Especially the one about wrestling on the floor of Science World.

Total bucket list material.

Ally was glad, in a way, that she loved debate so much to go on such a fascinating trip away from home. Even though she might've lost her chance at a scholarship, she found something she wouldn't have if Ms. Krum never sent Piper and Kira home.

Thanks Piper.

And maybe she should stop living reading so many books and thinking fairytale endings were possible. She struck out _twice_ on this trip thinking that she could find the perfect guy when really the perfect guy was busy eating a stack of pancakes.

Ally was just glad she wasn't so uptight and all-business like Trish used to say to her. Now, Trish actually appreciated her humour and wild stories. Ally recalled a text she received from Trish on their first night in the city, about getting lucky.

She certainly felt lucky, alright.

And _maybe_ , just maybe, lemon cake might be her new favourite dessert.

"She's doing it again."

"Hey! Hey! Earth to Ally."

This time, her head was too full of stars.

* * *

Ally sighed.

"Don't get me wrong, Trish. I love movies, but this is just a mess!" Ally grumbled. She flipped through the channels of available movies to watch. The bunch included _Inside Out_ , _Home_ and the _Minions_ movies. Ally already watched all of those.

"Then just watch them again, it's not a big deal. You read books again all the time," Trish said. She, for once, wasn't nose-deep in a fashion catalogue, but rather staring out of the aisle as the flight attendants came down with the food carts. Ally cocked her head to the side.

"Trish we literally just ate."

"But I'm hungry," Trish said. She frowned, then gave Ally a suggestive look. "I bet you are too." The food cart came rolling past their faces. Ally spotted pastries ranging from egg tarts to cakes and appetizers ranging from soup to salads. Ally looked away.

"I want to, but—"

"But?"

"But I shouldn't. I get nauseous eating on airplanes."

"But it's _food_. Come on, Ally. A little egg tart wouldn't hurt." Trish grinned at her as she grabbed two egg tarts. She placed one in Ally's hands. "Bottom's up!"

Ally rolled her eyes. She placed her egg tart on the little slide-out table that was built into the airplane seat. "Maybe later. I think I'm gonna read for a while."

"Suit yourself."

Ally was sitting in the middle seat out of three. Trish was on her left; a seat away from the aisle. They were seated on the very right lane of the airplane. The seat beside Ally was empty. It was supposed to be for one of the many people that got sent home earlier during the trip.

Ally pulled out _The Great Gatsby_ and flipped through a few pages. The plane only took off an hour ago. She had at least four more to sit through.

Ally was really enjoying herself. She was glad she didn't get motion sickness on airplanes, and that her ears didn't pop too many times. _The Great Gatsby_ was an impressive piece of literature.

Suddenly, something pelted Ally in the back of the head. She flinched. Ally felt the balled-up piece of paper drop from the top of her head to the back of her seat. She swivelled around, her curls giving her a slight whiplash. She suddenly wished she kept Austin's snapback on.

Ally raised an eyebrow at the balled-up piece of paper. Ally slowly picked it up, taking precautions. She relaxed a little when there wasn't a piece of chewed-up gum on the inside.

 _What's crackalackin, Know-It-Ally?_

Ally rolled her eyes. She didn't bother replying. He just interrupted her when the book was beginning to get good. She crumpled the ball of paper and tossed it over her head. She didn't wait to see if it made it to its destination. She calculated the throw. She _knew_ it made it back.

The wad of paper didn't come back.

Ally continued to read.

She read a few more pages, the time flying outside of her little bubble. The _Please keep your seatbelts on_ sign flashed brightly once, then dimmed down. You were now allowed to take off your seatbelts. Ally stayed in her seat however, and so did Trish, she realized.

There was a lot of things going down in the novel. It was satisfying to read, and at the same time soothing. It mended her soul for a bit.

Fascinated, suddenly, by the clouds outside, Ally took a moment to admire the sky outside her little airplane window. She remembered the checklist she made on her first plane ride of the trip.

Ally shifted over a seat, sitting now by the window seat. She blew a huff of air onto the window. It fogged up.

 _Try authentic maple syrup._

She added a check beside it.

She then proceeded to write all the other things that's she's accomplished and done in the past few days. The list was long and tedious and quite quirky at times. When she was done, Ally returned back to her original seat, wiping her palms against her pants.

Ally yawned. Only a two and a half more hours now. Trish hadn't said a word for a while now. Ally yawned again, trying to set her fuzzy mind straight. But it was no use. She needed a good nap.

After all, she was up remarkably late last night.

Ally settled against the seat, pulling the blanket up closer to her chest. She snuggled against the blanket and the headrest.

However, just as Ally felt her body begin to settle down and relax, she felt the Latina flinch beside her. Ally cocked her head to the side, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. Trish just jolted awake.

Of course she'd been sleeping.

"What? What is it?" She heard her curly-haired best friend snap. There was a bit of mumbling on the other side. "No way! I was comfortable until you woke me up."

"Come on, Trish."

Ally tried to make out the person standing over Trish. Her eyes were readjusting to the light. Ally heard Trish huff in response. The Latina shifted in her seat. Ally knew what that meant all too well. Whenever Trish turned to talk to someone it usually meant she was dead serious and in no way will ever give in to what the other person wanted.

Ever.

"Look. I know you've got a little agenda going on. And a thing for—" There was a pause. Ally heard the rustle of blankets on Trish's lap. "But no. No means no. And you're not getting past me." Ally heard the _harrumph_ Trish made.

The word had passed.

Ally decided to go back to sleep. Although she didn't make it the first time, with Trish bickering with someone who's voice was muffled by the plane and the crowd's noises, she could find a silence somewhere in between.

"Bribery won't work, Mister." Ally nuzzled back into the pillow she brought for the flight. Although there was less than two hours left, a little nap wouldn't hurt her system.

Ally thought about _Gatsby_ as she slowly drifted off into a fitful sleep. However, Trish kept talking over her thoughts. And a baby had just began to cry.

Wonderful.

"Usually money would be a _pretty good_ offer. But, I like my seat."

"Can you guys keep it down?" Ally grumbled. She just couldn't take the noise anymore. She was impatient, even though only a few minutes earlier she thought she could cope with the loud silence.

"Ah, Sleeping Beauty wakes." Ally lifted her head, blinking the darkness out of her vision. Austin had his elbow on the edge of Trish's headrest. Trish looked angry. Austin looked smug. They must've been bickering.

Ally hadn't seen Austin at all since the morning. He hadn't changed. The same dark, navy sweater; a jacket thrown over it, however. The same dark gray jeans, the same high tops.

Ally blew off some steam. She actually wanted to sleep. "And now she'd like to go back to sleep if you two are done."

"We are."

"We're not."

The replies came at the same time.

Trish— who argued they were done— glared at Austin. The blond in turn just flashed her a questioning glance. Ally sensed a playful tension crackle in the air.

"What Trish meant to say was that we're _done_ ," Austin said, glaring at the Latina. "She was just about to switch seats with me—"

"Yeah right!" Trish snorted. Trish then turned to Ally. "He's leaving. Tell him to leave."

"Austin, leave," Ally said, giving Austin a menacing look. Point one: she wanted to sleep. Point two: Trish was her best friend. Of course she would side with her BFF over her BF.

Bros before hoes.

Austin pouted. Ally bit her lip. "Aw, don't be like that."

Ally just rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. She left the stage for Trish to take. It looked like the Latina had a few strong words to say to the blond.

"Alright, _Austin_. You've got ten seconds to walk back down the aisle and strap yourself back into your seat before I kick your sorry _ass_ off this plane without a parachute," Trish said, dead serious. Ally couldn't help but snicker.

Austin didn't seem to hear her however, which made Ally's snicker die down. He seemed to be thinking about something. His eyes travelled back to his seat for a second, which made Ally wonder if he was going to walk back over there without a fight. That would probably shock her out of her wits.

However, when he turned back around to face the two girls, he had a smirk on his face. "Trish," he addressed the Latina. "Let's say, maybe my seat is beside someone you actually want to sit beside?"

Trish snorted again. "There's no one on this planet I'd rather sit beside than Ally—"

Austin turned his head back to his seat. "Hey Jace! She says she doesn't wanna—"

Quick as lightning, Trish undid her seatbelt, sprung out of her seat and went racing down the aisle. She nearly knocked Austin over, who pressed himself into her seat to avoid being ploughed over.

Austin plopped down into Trish's seat before Ally could say anything. "And that my friend, is how you get what you want." He clicked the seatbelt into place, flashing her a goofy grin.

Ally gave him a sarcastic quizzical look, narrowing her eyes. "Makes me wonder what else you're hiding," she said mockingly.

Austin shook his head. His wild hair flying into his eyes. "Nothing that should worry you, I suppose," he said. A hint of mischief laced his voice.

Ally raised an eyebrow but didn't say more.

Austin looked like he wanted to say a lot of things, however. "So, what was your favourite memory on this trip?"

"What is this? An interrogation?" Ally asked, faking skeptism. Austin just shook his head, laughing. He grabbed one of Trish's egg tart spoons and held it to her lips like a microphone.

Austin quirked an eyebrow at her. Ally just sighed. "Well. I'd say my favourite memory on this trip was actually that Art Gallery we went to."

Austin gave her a satisfied look. "Care to explain?"

"Well, I got so inspired by it. Anything can be art; the lamps made from random household objects taught me that. Anything and everything _is_ art. I just needed a little reminder about that. Other than the lamps, everything else was _spectacular_. Truly a great sight to see..." She trailed off, wondering if all her appreciative ranting was getting a little out of hand. "And by local artists, too? Canadians really do have talent."

Austin chuckled. With the hand not holding the spoon— his right— he slid it around her shoulders, tangling his fingers in her hair. He drew her close, smiling a dazzling smile at her the entire time. Ally slumped forward, over the armrest and into his warm chest. Happiness and heat radiated from the both of them as Austin planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"You're so cute when you _gush_ ," Austin murmured. Ally sighed contently. They stayed in a little pile of mush for a while before Ally decided to return the favour.

"What about you? What was your favourite memory?"

Austin frowned, his arm still around her shoulder. Ally sat up a little, trying to get comfortable again while she waited for his answer. She glanced at the egg tart Trish had given her. Her stomach growled in response.

"And give me that spoon while you're at it." Austin handed her the spoon. Austin did a double take when she stuck it right into the egg tart. She eyed him. "What?"

"Nothing," he said too quickly. A blush made its way onto his cheeks. "I just thought you were going to use that as a microphone."

"I'm not as childish as you," Ally said, rolling her eyes. She frowned as she couldn't cut into a piece of the crust of the tart. She shrugged then just picked up the pastry and bit a piece off, peeling the aluminum cup as she went.

"I think my favourite experience of this has got to be Helen's wedding," Austin said. "Not only was it great to see everyone again, but honestly, it's the most fun I've had in a while. Yeah... pretty great."

"That the only reason why?" Ally asked, her mouth stuffed.

"And maybe hearing you recite the _entire_ second act of _Romeo and Juliet_ from memory, wow. Even saying those weird, Elizabethan time words that only made sense back then."

Ally knew he was being sarcastic but just waved a hand as if it were no big deal. Secretly, she was pleased.

Suddenly, the plane lurched to the left. Ally's egg tart slid to the left, nearly off the edge of the table if she didn't catch it in time. The lights of the plane flickered for a bit. She's seen enough horror movies to know that wasn't a good sign.

However, the plane readjusted itself as fast as the turbulence happened. Ally sighed. She wasn't afraid of airplanes as much ever since she joined debate. They've been to conferences everywhere and airplanes just weren't her biggest fear anymore. They've never been really.

Austin, on the other hand, looked like his life just flashed before his eyes. He gripped the armrests of the seat so hard his knuckles drained of all blood. Ally frowned at him. "Austin, you okay?"

"Fine." He swallowed. "Doing fine," he said through clenched teeth. He stayed like that for a few more seconds until it seemed as the plane was flying smoothly again. He relaxed.

Ally cocked an eyebrow at him. She finished the rest of her egg tart. "Fear of flying?"

"You have no idea," he muttered, closing his eyes. "Usually I'm okay with turbulences but I just watched a bunch of videos of planes crashing earlier."

"Why?"

"I made it to the weird side of Youtube while we were waiting at the terminal."

Ally felt bad for him. Sure, the fear was practical, but at the same time, she wanted Austin to feel okay on the flight.

 _Maybe I could distract him._

"So, tell me," she started, processing her thoughts. "How many cousins do you really have? On both sides of the family."

Austin looked at her. He seemed to be thinking. "A lot. I don't think I can even count them all."

"Fair enough," she said. "You said you and Piper were really close. But who's really your favourite cousin." Ally lowered her voice and have him a mischievous look. "I won't tell."

Austin returned her playful glare. His fingers loosened. "I don't think I have a favourite. Considering I only see a couple of them every once in a while, anyway." He let out a sigh. Ally decided it was a sigh of relief.

"Okay, they may sound similar to the 'favourite memory' question, but what about the best part of this trip?"

"That's like, the exact same thing, know-it-all."

Ally huffed in annoyance. "Just answer the question. And it can't be the same like before."

"Well... the _best_ part about this trip. Hmm." Austin got a pensive look on his face. However, it broke into a full-on grin that made Ally's heart flutter. "I think the best part about this trip was Piper and Kira getting sent home."

Ally smiled. "Hey, look at that. We finally agree on something!"

Austin smirked at her. "How about that?"

As a small, almost unnoticeable turbulence rocked the plane, Ally realized she's run out of things to ask. Even if she did ask some typical questions, she already knew the answer to most of them. She was running out of ideas.

Ally just sighed. She needed to stretch her legs. "Hang on. I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

Austin gripped her arm in a death grip as she stood up. Her wrist was so small compared to his hand. "Don't leave me!" The plane rocked gently from side to side, then stabilized itself. They must be going through a rough patch.

"Austin. I'm just gonna walk to the bathroom. I'll come right back—"

"I'll go with you!" He practically squeaked out. Austin unbuckled his seatbelt— that was practically iron around his waist— and hopped up behind her. Ally just rolled her eyes as she gripped his hand like a child and walked him to the bathroom.

"I'll just be inside," she told him sternly. Like a mother to her son.

"Okay," he said, eyes wide.

Ally rolled her eyes again. She locked the door to the bathroom and just washed her hands. The egg tart had made her fingers a little clammy and sticky. She washed her mouth too, just to get the taste and feel out.

Ally unlocked the bathroom door. Austin was still standing there, looking a little lost. However, when he saw her, his eyes zeroed in on her. Ally's leg felt a little weak.

The plane jolted up gently.

"I heard you joined the mile-high club," she blurted out. It's not that she spent every minute of her life thinking about what Kira had said so long ago. It was that being on a plane again and being so close to Austin triggered her memory.

Yeah.

That was it.

Slowly, Austin's mouth curled into a smirk. All fear dissolved from his face. He placed a hand on the door frame, trapping her in on one side. "We're a secluded group."

Ally cocked her head to the side. "I don't believe you."

Austin placed his other hand on the door frame, trapping her in between him and the bathroom door. He leaned in a little closer. Ally made a sound at the back of her throat when his lips skimmed her cheek. "I thought you didn't want to be seconds."

Austin let his nose graze her jaw. Ally groaned. Two could play at that game. Ally grabbed his shoulders firmly in her hands, staring him dead in the eye. Then she slowly gave him a smirk. Austin's breathing grew heavier.

"I don't. I don't believe you were even there the first time," Ally said slyly.

Austin imitated a look of shock. He kissed her lips gently. "I can't believe you."

Ally savoured the taste of his lips. She blinked open her eyes and looked at him through her lashes. "Would you like to join the mile-high club?"

Austin, again imitated another look of shock. "You really _do_ know what the mile-high club is!" His lips attacked hers. The moment of passion passed through both of them. Blood pounded through Ally's veins. Her legs grew weak, making her tremble slightly. She never felt more alive.

"Of course," she murmured. Ally looked Austin right in his hooded eyes. "After all, I am a know-it-all."

Austin groaned. He removed his arms from the doorframe. One of them was placed on her hip. The other twisted the knob of the airplane washroom. Ally suspected they had at least another hour to kill.

"Make all your witty comments now, Know-It-Ally," Austin groaned. He pushed the door of the bathroom open. "When I'm done with you, you won't even remember your name."

And then he kissed her.

If there was anything Ally learned, being a know-it-all, it was that Austin was a man of his words.

Also that he didn't have a fear of airplanes.

* * *

 **And that's all folks!**

 **Fun fact, this was actually supposed to be titled _The Mile-High Club_ , but I scrapped that title.**

 **I need to address a few thingsysysy. First. If you bother to read author's notes then you would know I put a little italicized note at the end of each of these. That was actually Austin's thought at the end of each chapter. For instance (I'm gonna use my favourite one), in chapter 4, the end note says _baby_. And if you were paying attention. Somewhere in the chapter Austin says a little line but quickly cuts that off. At the end of that sentence, he was meaning to say baby. :-)**

 **Another big one is chapter 2, where you get the hint that Austin had Ally's book because he _read_ the note her mom wrote for her inside. It's a lil complicated, but I'm sure ya'll can figure out what each note refers to in the chapter. Except 6, maybe. Chapter 6 refers to him actually reading _Pride and Prejudice_ cause Mr. Darcy is a character in the book. :)**

 **Alright. Finally. Thanks to all of you guys for reading this story! I'm so so SO glad you all enjoyed this comical ride Austin and Ally took! I started writing this back during the second week of Christmas break. And now it's nearly summer! Thanks for all the great reviews and all the support with this story. I love you all!**

 **I got some more things coming your way soon. Might be a lil more provocative. We'll see...**

 **Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

 _ **and that my friend, is how you get what you want**_


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